Dixision 

Section 


'^yQ^^u'^^ 


« 


,Sl^^*3iSS  %»»»  N   , 


f 


Frorn.  o-For-trait  in,  the 


possessioTu  of  his  Fo^rrulv 


THE 

MARTYRS; 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIVES  AND  A  FULL  ACCOUNT 
OF  THE  ^MARTYRDOM   OF 


JOSEPH  AND  HYRUM  SMITH, 


TOGKTHKR     WITH 


igoncise  geview  of  the  ^ost  ^lominent  incidents  Connected 
with  the  persecutions  of  the  faints,  from  the  time  the 
iChurch  was  Organized  up  to  the  ^ear  1846. 


B-5r    L-5riv<r_A.Kr    o.    x^ittlbfielid. 


JUVENILE    INSTKUCTOR    OFEICE, 

Salt    liake    City, 


1882. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1882,  by  George  C.  Lambert, 
ill  the  ollice  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE 


O INCK  the  death  of  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch,  Joseph  arid 
Hyrum  Smith,  a  new  generation  has  sprang  into  existence. 
Hosts  of  young  people  are  growing  up  in  the  midst  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  still  others  have  attained  to  manhood 
and  womanhood  in  the  Church,  who  never  saw  those  noble 
martyrs  whose  lives  were  sacrificed  in  establishing  the  gospel 
upon  the  earth.  Thousands  of  others  have  also  gathered  under 
the  gospel  banner  from  the  various  nations  of  the  earth  since 
their  death.  While  such  persons  may  be  devoted  fol- 
lowers of  those  early  leaders,  and  may  cherish  a  love  and 
veneration  for  their  memory,  they  are  forced  to  depend  in  great 
part  upon  the  verbal  testimony  of  their  parents  or  others  who 
had  the  pleasure  of  a  personal  acquaintance,  for  their  knowledge 
of  the  character,  lives  and  tragic  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
Smith.  True,  much  has  been  written  and  published  at  various 
times  in  the  Church  upon  this  subject,  but  not  in  a  concise  and 
authentic  shape.  The  facts  as  published  are  scattered  through 
the  various  volumes  of  the  Times  and  Seasons,  MiHenmal 
Star,  Juvenile  Instructor  and  other  publication,  which 
few  students  have  access  to. 

It  is  our  intention  to  publish,  in  book  form,  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, a  detailed  "History  of  Joseph  Smith  ;"  in  fact,  the  most 
of  the  copy  for  it  is  already  prepared.     BeHeving,  however, 


iv.  PREFACE. 


that  a  brief  skctdi  of  the  most  iin])ortant  scenes  through 
wliich  he  passed,  and  a  full  account  of  his  martyrdom, 
especially  if  written  by  one  who  was  familiar  with  him  while 
living,  would  be  acceptaljle  to  our  friends,  we  have  employed 
Brother  Littletield  to  write  and  compile  the  same.  Perhaps 
no  person  had  better  op]iortunities  for  learning  the  full  particu- 
lars of  the  Carthage  tragedy  than  he,  for  he  was  in  a  position 
at  the  time  of  the  occurrence  to  get  full  and  authentic  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  it,  and  took  pains  to  do  so. 

Of  course,  the  limited  size  of  this  volume  will  not  admit  of 
more  than  a  brief  allusion  to  many  scenes  of  interest  in  the 
early  history  of  the  Church,  while  very  many  others  have 
had  to  be  omitted  entirely.  But  many  flicts  are  herein  narrated 
that  have  never  before  been  published,  while  others  have  been 
collected  from  various  sources  and  here  arranged  in  compact 
form,  for  the  use  of  those  who  may  desire  to  learn  something 
of  the  interesting  subjects  upon  which  the  work  treats. 

That  a  perusal  of  this  brief  volume  may  tend  to  inspire 
those  into  whose  hands  it  may  Ml  with  a  respect  for  and  a 
desire  to  emulate  the  virtues  of  the  noble  men  whose  lives  and 
death  it  commemorates,  is  the  desire  of 

The  Publisher. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Joseph  Smith's  Birth — His  Family — Humble  Circumstances 
— Joseph  and  Hynim  the  Leading  Spirits — Religious 
Excitement — ^Joseph  Appeals  to  God — His  Prayer 
Answered — Grod,  the  Father,  and  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ, 
Appear  and  Instruct  Him — Persecution  which  Followed 
the  First  Mention  of  This  Vision— Visits  From  the 
Angel  Moroni — Sacred  Records  Shown — Instructions  and 
Predictions.  Page  9. 

CHAPTER   II. 

The  Example  Set  by  Joseph  Smith — Predictions  Fulfdled  in 
His  Persecution — Proof  that  He  Was  Not  a  "False 
Prophet" — Visit  and  View  the  Sacred  Records  Once  A 
Year — Obtain  Possession  of  Them — Devices  of  His 
Enemies  to  Secure  Them — Removal  to  Pennsylvania — 
Book  of  Mormon  Translated  and  Published — Its  Title 
an  Ancient  One — Church  Organized — Mobbed,  Tarred 
and  Feathered— Preach  to  Mobbers— Child  Dies — IMobs 
in  Ohio  and  Missouri — ^Religion  Their  Only  Offense — 
House  Torn  Down — Press  Confiscated — Tarred  and 
Feathered — ^Driven  to  Prairies  and  Woods — Cross  the 
Missouri — Find  Refiige.  Page  17. 


VI.  CONTENTS. 


-^^^  CHAPTER   III. 

Settle  in^Clay,  Ray,  Caldwell  and  Daviess  Counties — Far  West 
— Hostilities  Recommenced — Mob  vVided  by  Militia — 
Boggs'  Order  to  Exterminate  the  Saints — Haun's  Mill 
Massacre  and  Other  Outrages — Mob  and  Militia  Forces 
Concentrated  at  Far  West — Formed  in  Battle  Array — Mob 
Outnumber,  the  Saints  Twenty-three  Fold — Threatened 
Massacre — Hinkle's  Treachery — Leading  Saints  Taken 
Prisoners— Court  Martial— Sentenced  to  be  Shot  in  Pres- 
ence of  Their  Families— Doniphan's  Noble  Action— Pris- 
oners Taken  to  Independence — Sympathy  for  Them — 
Confined  in  Jail,  Heavily  Ironed — A  Prison  Scene — 
Dignity  in  Chains — Prisoners  Enter  Liberty  Jail — (Ti^'en 
Poison  and  Human  Flesh  to  Eat — The  Escape. 

Page  27. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Saints  Take  Refuge  in  Illinois — Commerce  Selected  as  a 
Gathering  Place — Congress  and  Van  Buren  Appealed  to 
for  Redress  of  Wrongs— Van  Buren' s  Disgraceful  Reply 
— Nauvoo  Incorporated — Hyrum  Smith  Made  Patriarch— 
Josej)h  Smith  Again  Arrested— Tried  Before  Stephen  A. 
Douglass— Discharged— A  Prophecy— Boggs'  Affidavit- 
Avoids  Arrest — Kidnapped  at  Dixon— Brutal  Treatment 
by  Reynolds  and  Wilson— Scene  at  Pawpaw  (jrove— 
Friends  in  Nauvoo  Aroused— Scour  the  Country  in  Search 
of  Joseph— Find  Him  and  Return  to  Nauvoo— An  Ova- 
tion— Kidnappers  Entertained  as  Guests— Further  Efibrts 
of  Reynolds  and  Wilson  to  Cause  Trouble.     Page  36. 

CHAPTER    V. 

Review  of  Joseph  Smith's  Character— A  Candidate  for  the 
Presidency  of  the  U.  S. —"Expositor"  Issued— Declared 
a  Nuisance— Abated  by  Ortler  of  the  City  Council- 
Efforts  to  take  Joseph  Smith  to  Carthage  for  Trial  on  a 
Charge  of  Riot— His  Objections  to  Going  There— Impres- 
sion that  He  would  be  Murdered— The  Governor  Insists 
Upon  it— Joseph  Submits.  Page  48. 


CONTENTS.  Vll. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

The  Prophet's  Last  Public  Speech— Start  for  Carthage- 
Remarks  on  Passing  the  Temple  and  Leaving  'Squire 
Wells — Order  from  the  Governor  to  Deliver  up  the  State 
Arms— Return  to  Nauvoo  to  Have  the  Order  Comphed 
With— Reach  Carthage  at  Midnight— The  Governor 
Pledges  the  Faith  of  the  State  for  Their  Protection— 
The  Prisoners  Exhibited  Before  the  Troops— Joseph's 
Remarks  to  Officers  who  Visit  Him.  Page  59. 

CAAPTER   VII. 

Committed  to  Jail— Mob  Despair  of  Convicting  the  Prison- 
ers by  Legal  Process,  and  Determine  to  Effect  Their 
Purpose  by  Powder  and  Ball — Governor  Promises  to 
Take  Them  to  Nauvoo  with  Him — Sends  Marshal 
Greene  to  Nauvoo  to  Keep  Order  During  His  Visit — 
Governor  Ford  Goes  to  Nauvoo,  Leaving  the  Prisoners 
to  then-  Fate— A  Mob  with  Painted  Faces  Surround 
the  Jail  and  Murder  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  and 
Wound  John  Taylor — News  of  the  Massacre  Sent  to 
Nauvoo— Grief-stricken  Community— Alarm  of  the  Mobo- 
crats — Arrival  of  the  Bodies  of  the  Martyrs. 

Page  65. 

CHAPTER   VIIL 

Account  of  the  Massacre  by  One  who  was  Among  the  Mob 
—Probable  Fate  of  This  Informer— How  He  Happened 
to  be  With  the  Mob  Party— Details  of  the  Massacre- 
Reflections  on  the  Horrible  Deed— Return  to  His  Home 
—A  Dream— Determine  to  Do  What  He  Could  to  Bring 
the  Murderers  to  Justice — Visit  to  Nauvoo  and  Quincy 
Hush-money  Offered  Him — He  Joins  the  Church — 
Efforts  to  Put  Him  Out  of  the  Way— Before  the  Grand 
Jury  as  a  Witness— Nine  Persons  Indicted— Murderers 
Allowed  to  Go  Free.  Page  70. 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Letter  From  the  Man  Who  Attempted  to  Cut  Joseph 
Smith's  Head  Off— Corroborative  of  the  Statement  of 
Daniels.  Page  87. 


VllL  CONTEKTS. 


CHjVPTEE     X. 

Ford's  Flight  From  Nauvoo  on  Hearing  the  Signal  that  the 
Murder  Had  Been  Committed — Prevents  the  News  from 
Being  Can-ied  to  Nauvoo — His  Advice  to  the  People  of 
Carthage  to  Flee — Elder  Taylor's  Beturn  to  Nauvoo — 
His  Own  Account  of  it — The  Governor's  Alarm — Jonas 
and  Fellows  Sent  by  Him  to  Nauvoo — Besolutions  of 
City  Council — People  of  Warsaw  Befuse  to  Support  the 
Grovernor — Insolent  Letter  From  Ford.  Page  90. 

CHAPTEB  XI. 

Sidney  Bigdon's  Claim  to  Leadership — The  Saints  Convinced 
that  President  Young  was  the  INIan — ^Work  on  the 
Temple  Crowded — Persecution  Continued — Bemoval  to 
Bocky  Mountains  Predicted— Suggestion  From  Governor 
Ford— A  Song.  Page  96. 

CHAPTEB    XII. 

Further  Outrages— Men  Whipped— Others  Kidnapped— Fed 
With  Poison  and  Set  up  for  Targets,  but  Finally 
Beleased— One-sided  Court— Assassin  Bule— Outrages 
Unbearable— Bemoval  Westward  Commenced — Nauvoo 
Besieaed,  and  Bemaining  Saints  Forcibly  Driven  Out. 

Page  101. 

'   CHAPTEB   XIII. 

Joseph  Smith  Arraigned  on  Criminal  Charge  Fifty  Times, 
and  Invariably  Acquitted— Bespect  for  Civil  Law 
Enjoined  by  Bevelation— The  Saints  a  Loyal  People. 

Page  100. 

CHAPTEB  XIV. 

Betributive  Justice.  Page  109. 

CHAPTEB   XV. 

Concluding  Bemarks.  Page  113. 


THE  MARTYRS 


CHAPTER    I. 

JOSEPH  smith's  birth — HIS  FAMILY — HUMBLE  CIRCUMSTAN- 
CES—  JOSEPH  AND  HYRUM  THE  LEADING  SPIRITS — RELI- 
GIOUS EXCITEMENT  —  JOSEPH  APPEALS  TO  GOD  —  HIS 
PRAYER  ANSWERED  —  GOD  THE  FATHER  AND  HIS  SON 
JESUS  CHRIST  APPEAR  AND  INSTRUCT  HIM  —  PERSECU- 
TION WHICH  FOLLOWED  THE  FIRST  MENTION  OF  THIS 
VISION  —  VISITS  FROM  THE  ANGEL  MORONI  —  SACRED 
RECORDS    SHOWN — INSTRUCTIONS  AND  PREDICTIONS. 

JOSEPH  SMITH  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sharon,  Windsor 
J    County,  Vermont,  on  the  23rd  of  December,  1805. 

His  brother,  Hyrum  Smith,  was  nearly  six  years  his  senior, 
having  been  born  February  9,  1800,  in  Tunbridge,  Orange 
County,  Vermont. 

These  brothers  were  martyred  for  their  rehgion,  at  Carthage, 
Hancock  County,  lUinois,  when  in  the  prime  of  life  and  the 
bloom  of  manhood,  but  not  before  they  had  accomplished  a 
work  and  left  a  record  that  will  cause  their  names  to  be  revered 
and  their  memories  to  be  cherished  while  time  shall  last. 

Some  of  the  prominent  incidents  in  the  lives  of  these  illustri- 
ous men,  and  the  causes  which  led  to  their  death,  by  violence, 
will  be  carefully  set  forth  in  this  work  and  established  by  abun- 
dant documentary  evidence,  now  within  the  reach  of  the 
author. 

Joseph  being  the  prominent  actor  in  that  which  will  be 
related,  it  will  be  proper  to  follow  him  more  closely  than  his 
brother  Hyrum  in  this  narrative.  Their  lives  were  closely 
interwoven.  No  brothers  ever  loved  each  other  more  devo- 
tedly, or  were  more  harmonious  in  their  feelings,  and  that  which 


10  THE  .AlARTYRS. 

relates  to  one  may  be  connidered  almost  equally  applicable  to 
the  other. 

Without  unnecessary  circumlocution,  let  us  briefly  but  can- 
didly and  plainly  review  the  public  career  of  these  remarkable 
men. 

When  Joseph  was  ten  years  old,  his  parents  removed  to  Pal- 
myra, in  the  State  of  New  York.  In  this  place,  and  in  the 
neighboring  town  of  Manchester,  the  family  resided  for  about 
eleven  years.  By  occuj^ation,  his  father  was  a  farmer,  and, 
being  poor,  he  was  unable  to  provide  his  children  oi)portunities 
for  acijuiring  any  other  education  than  the  common  schools  of 
the  countiy  afforded.  The  family  was  large,  consisting  of  eleven 
souls,  namely — Joseph  Smith,  Sen.,  Lucy  Smith  (the  mother), 
Alvin,  HjTum,  Joseph,  Jr.,  Samuel  Harrison,  Wilh am,  Don 
Carlos,  Sophronia,  Catherine  and  Lucy.  Both  parents  and 
children  were  naturally  moral  and  inchned  to  religion.  The 
mother,  the  son  Samuel  Harrison,  and  the  daughter  Sojihro- 
nia,  were  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Hj-rum  Smith  was  naturally  devotional,  and,  at  a  time 
of  religious  excitement  which  prevailed  in  the  region  where  they 
lived  in  the  year  1 820,  he  also  became  a  Presbjierian.  Joseph, 
however,  coidd  not  feel  satisfied  with  the  doctrines  taught  by  any 
of  the  jarring  religious  sects  of  the  day.  He  meditated  much 
upon  the  subject  of  religion,  but  could  derive  no  satisfaction 
from  the  teachings  of  those  who  professed  to  be  the  followers 
of  Christ.  Their  creeds  were  contradictory.  Every  one  was  in 
opposition  to  the  others. 

Though  young  and  unlearned,  he  liad  the  good  sense  to 
understand  that  religious  systems  which  clashed  with  each 
other  were  inconsistent  with  reason  and  sound  judgment.  He 
discarded  the  whole  of  these  discordant  elements,  turned  away 
from  them  dissatisfied,  and  appealed  to  God.  For  light  to 
guide  him  in  the  right  way,  he  began  diligently  to  search  the 
scriptures.  In  the  Epistle  of  James  (i.  5)  he  read:  "If  anj' 
of  3'ou  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally,  and upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  be  given  him."'  This 
passage  gave  him  great  satisfaction ;  it  filled  him  with  joy. 
There  was  a  definite  promise  of  help  from  the  Almighty  to  all 
who  would  ask  of  Him. 


JOSEPH  smith's  first   VISION.  11 

He  determined  to  act  according  to  the  injunction  of  James, 
and  with  an  honest  heart  and  pure  motives,  set  about  the 
dehghtful  task. 

The  coui-se  immediately  taken  by  him  and  tlie  result  of  tlie 
same  will  best  be  understood  from  the  following  extract  from 
"Kemarkable  Visions."  by  Apostle  Orson  Pratt^ 

"He,  therefore,  retired  to  a  secret  place,  in  a  grove,  but  a 
short  distance  from    his  father's  house,  and  knelt  down  and 
began  to  call  upon  the  Lord.     At  first,  he  was  severelv  tempted 
by  the  powers  ot  darkness,  which  endeavored  to  overcome  him, 
but  he  continued  to  seek  for  deliverance,  until  darkness  gave 
way  Iroiii  his  mind,  and  he  was  enabled  to  pray  in  fervency  of 
the  spirit,  andm  feith ;  and  while  thus  pourins- out  his  soul, 
anxiously  desiring  an  answer  from  God,  he  saw  a  very  brieht 
and  glorious  light  in  the  heavens  above,  which  at  lirst  seemed 
to  be  at  a  considerable  distance.     He  continued  pravin?,  while 
the  light  appeared  to  be  gradually  descending  towards  him ; 
and,  as  it  drew  nearer,  it  increased  in  brightness  and  mairni- 
tude,  so  that  by  the  time  that  it  reached  the  tops  of  the  trees, 
the  whole  wilderness,  for  some  distance  around,   was  illumi- 
nated m  a  most  glorious  and  brilliant  manner.     He  expected  to 
have  seen  the   leaves  and  boughs  of  the  trees  con.sumed,  as 
soon  as  the  light  came  m  contact  with  them;  but,  perceivin"- 
that  it  did  not  produce  that  effect,  he  was  encouraged  with  the 
hope  ot    being  able  to  endure  its  presence.     It  continued  de- 
scending slowly  until  it  rested  upon  the  earth,  and  he  was  envel- 
oped in  the  midst  of  it.     When  it  first  came  upon  him,  it  pro- 
duced a  pecuhar  sensation  throughout  his  whole  svstem  •  and 
immediatelv.    his  mind  was  caught  awav  from  "the  natural 
objects  with  which  he  was  surrounded,  and  he  was  enwrapped 
in  a  heavenly  \nsion,   and  saw  two  glorious  personao-es,  who 
exactly  resembled  each  other  in  their  features  or  likeness      He 
was  inhDrmed  that  his  sins  were  forgiven.     He  was  also  informed 
upon  tlie  subjects  which  had  for  some  time  previously  a^ritated 
his  mind,  namely,  that  all  religious  denominations  were  believ- 
ing in  incoiTect  doctrines;  and,    consequentlv,  that   none  of 
them  was  acknowledged  of  God  as  His  church  and  kingdom 
And  he  was  expressly  commanded  to  go  not  after  them'  •  and 
he  received  a  promise  that  the  truedoctrine— the  fullness  of  the 
gospel—should,  at  some  future  time,  be  made  known  to  him  • 
alter  which,  the  vision  withdrew,  leaving  his  mind  in  a  state  of 
calmness  and  peace  indescribable. ' ' 

From  the  foregoing  we  learn  how  promptly  the  Lord  answered 
the  sincere  petition  of  this  honest-hearted  boy,  untutored  by 
the  learning  of  men,  and  unbiased  as  he  was  by  the  sophistry 


12  THE  MARTYRS. 

and  vain  theories  which  were  promulgated  for  the  doctrines  of 
Christ. 

Although  visitations  from  heavenly  beings  should  neither 
surprise  nor  seem  unreasonable  to  Bible  believers,  (inasmuch 
as  they  were  formerly  common,  according  to  scripture  state- 
ments), Joseph  Smith  had  no  sooner  made  known  the  fact  of 
his  having  been  so  fovored,  than  he  was  beset  by  ridicule, 
hatred  and  bitter  persecution  from  those  he  had  formerly 
thought  to  be  his  friends.  In  his  own  writings  upon  this  point, 
he  said : 

"Some  few  days  after  I  had  this  vision,  I  happened  to  be  in 
company  with  one  of  the  Methodist  preachers,  who  was  very 
active  in  the  before-mentioned  religious  excitement,  and,  con- 
versing with  him  on  the  subject  of  religion,  I  took  occasion  to " 
give  him  an  account  of  the  vision  which  I  had  had.  I  was 
greatly  surprised  at  his  behavior ;  he  treated  my  communica- 
tion not  only  lightly,  but  with  great  contempt,  saying,  it  was 
all  of  the  devil'  that  there  were  no  such  things  as  visions  or  rev- 
elations in  these  days;  that  all  such  things  had  ceased  with  the 
Apostles  and  that  there  never  would  be  any  more  of  them.  I 
soon  found,  however,  that  my  telling  the  story  had  excited  a 
great  deal  of  prejudice  against  me  among  professors  of  religion, 
and  was  the  cause  of  great  persecution,  which  continued  to 
increase,  and  though  I  was  an  obscure  boy,  only  between  four- 
teen and  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  my  circumstances  in  life  such 
as  to  make  a  boy  of  no  consequence  in  the  world,  yet  men  of 
high  standing  would  take  notice  sufficient  to  excite  the  public 
mind  against  me,  and  create  a  hot  persecution ;  and  this  was 
common  among  all  the  sects— all  united  to  j^ersecute  me. 

"It  caused  me  serious  reflection  then,  and  often  has  since,  how 
very  strange  it  was  that  an  obscure  boy.  of  a  little  over  four- 
teen years  of  age,  and  one,  too,  who  was_  doomed  to  the  necessity 
of  obtaining  a  scanty  maintenance  by  his  daily  labor,  should  be 
thought  a  character  of  sufficient  imjiortance  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  great  ones  of  the  most  po])nlar  sects  of  the  day,  so 
as  to  create  in  them  a  si)irit  of  the  hottest  persecution  and 
reviling.  But  strange;  or  not,  so  it  was,  and  was  often  cause  of 
great  sorrow  to  myself  However,  it  was  nevertheless  a^  fact 
that  I  had  had  a  vision.  ^  *  *  I  had  actually  seen  a  light, 
and  in  the  midst  of  that  light  I  saw  two  personages,  and  they 
did  in  reality  speak  unto  nie,  or  one  of  them  did  ;  and  though 
I  was  hated  and  persecuted  for  saying  that  I  had  seen  a  vision, 
yet  it  was  true;  and  while  they  were  persecuting  me,  reviling 
me,  and  speaking  all  manner  of  evil  against  me  falsely  for  so 
saying,  I  was  led  to  say  in  my  heart,  why  persecute  for  telling 


PERSECUTION   OF  JOSEPH  AFTER  HIS  VISION.  13 

the  trath?  I  have  actuallj^  seen  a  vision  and  "who  am  I  that 
I  can  withstand  God?"  or  why  does  the  world  think  to  make 
me  deny  what  I  have  actually  seen ?  for  I  had  seen  a  vision; 
I  knew  it  and  I  knew  that  God  knew  it,  and  I  could  not  deny 
it,  neither  dare  I  do  it;  at  least,  I  knew  that  by  so  doing  I 
would  offend  God,  and  come  under  condemnation. ' ' 

For  three  years  after  seeing  the  vision  mentioned,  Joseph 
Smith  continued  to  endure  persecution  from  all  quarters,  with- 
out receiving  any  other  divine  manifestations.  On  the  2]  st  of 
September,  1823,  however,  after  he  had  retired  to  rest,  he 
besought  the  Lord,  in  fervent  prayer,  to  send  some  kind  mes- 
senger to  commune  with  him  and  again  make  known  His  will 
to  him.  While  thus  praying,  a  bright  hght  appeared  in  the 
room  and  in  the  midst  of  it  was  a  personage  whose  "counte- 
nance was  as  lightning,  yet  it  was  of  a  pleasing,  innocent  and 
glorious  appearance;  so  much  so  that  every  fear  was  banished 
from  the  heart,  and  nothing  but  calmness  pentad ed  the  soul." 
He  "declared  himself  to  be  an  angel  of  God,  (Moroni)  sent 
forth  by  commandment,  to  communicate  to  him  that  his  sins 
were  forgiven,  and  that  his  prayers  were  heard ;  and  also  to 
bring  the  joyful  tidings,  that  the  covenant  which  God  made 
with  ancient  Israel  concerning  their  posterity  was  at  hand  to  be 
ftilfilled— that  the  great  preparatory  work  for  the  second  com- 
ing of  the  Messiah  was  speedily  to  commence— that  the  time 
was  at  hand  for  the  gospel,  in  its  fullness,  to  be  preached  in 
power  unto  all  nations,  that  a  people  might  be  prepared  with 
faith  and  righteousness  for  the  millennial  reign  of  universal  peace 
and  joy." 

He  was  further  informed  that  he  was  called  and  chosen  to  be 
an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  to  bring  about  some  of  His 
mai-velous  purposes  in  this  dispensation. 

"It  was  also  made  manifest  to  him  that  the  American  Indi- 
ans were  a  remnant  of  Israel;  that  when  they  first  emigrated 
to  America  they  were  an  enlightened  people,  possessing  a 
knowledge  of  the  true  God,  enjoying  His  favor  and  peculiar 
blessings  from  His  hand ;  that  the  prophets  and  inspired  wri- 
ters among  them,  were  required  to  keep  a  sacred  history-  of  the 
most  important  events  transpiring  among  them,  which  history 
was  handed  down  for  many  generations,  till  at  length  they  fell 
into  great  wickedness.  The  greatest  part  of  them  were  de- 
stroyed, and  the  records  (by  commandment  of  God  to  one  of 


14  THE  MARTYRS. 

the  last  prophets  among  them,)  were  safel.y  deposited  to  pre- 
serve them  from  tlie  hands  of  the  wicked  who  sought  to  de- 
stroy them.  He  was  informed  that  these  records  contained 
many  sacred  revelations  pertaining  to  the  gosj^el  of  the  king- 
^lom,  as  well  as  prophecies  relating  to  the  great  events  of  the 
last  days  ;  and  that  to  fulfill  Ilis  promises  to  the  ancients,  who 
wrote  the  records,  and  to  accomplish  His  purposes,  in  the  resti- 
tution of  their  children,  etc.,  they  were  to  come  forth  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  people.  If  faithful,  he  w^as  to  he  the  instru- 
ment who  should  he  thus  highly  favored  in  bringing  these  sacred 
tilings  to  light;  at  the  same  time  being  expressly  informed, 
that  it  must  be  done  with  an  eye  single  to  the  glory  of  (lod, 
tliat  no  one  could  be  entrusted  with  those  sacred  writings,  who 
should  endeavor  to  aggrandize  himself,  by  converting  sacred 
things  to  speculative  purposes.  After  giving  him  many  instruc- 
tions concerning  things  past  and  to  come,  which  would  be  for- 
eign to  our  purpose  to  mention  here,  he  disappeared,  and  the 
light  and  glory  of  (lod  withdrew,  leaving  his  mind  in  perfect 
peace,  white  a  calmness  and  serenity  indescribable  pervaded  the 
soul.  But  before  morning,  the  vision  was  twice  renewed, 
instructing  him  further  and  still  furtlier  concerniiig  the  great 
work  of  (n)d  about  to  be  performed  on  the  earth.  In  the 
morning  he  went  out  to  his  work  as  usual,  but  soon  the  vision 
was  renewed  —  the  angel  again  appeared,  and,  having  been 
informed  by  the  previous  visions  of  the  night,  concerning  the 
l)lace  where  those  records  were  deposited,  he  was  instructed  to 
go  immediately  and  view  them." 

Accordingly,  says  Joseph,  "I  left  the  field,  and  went  to  the 
I  (lace  where  the  messenger  had  told  me  the  plates  were  depos- 
ited ;  and  owing  to  the  distinctness  of  the  vision  which  1  had 
iiad  concerning  it,  I  knew  the  place  the  instant  that  I  arrived 
t  here.  (V)iivenient  to  the  village  of  Manchester,  Ontario  County, 
New  York,  stands  a  hill  of  considerable  size,  and  the  mcjst  ele- 
vated of  any  in  the  neighborhood.  On  the  west  side  of  this 
hill,  not  far  from  the  top,  under  a  stone  of  considerable  size, 
lay  the  plates,  dei>()sited  in  a  stone  l)ox.  This  stone  Avas  thick 
and  rounding  in  the  middle  on  the  upper  side,  and  thinner 
towards  the  edges,  so  that  the  middle  part  of  it  was  visible 
above  tlu;  ground,  but  the  edge  all  round  was  covered  with 
earth.  Having  removed  the  earth  and  obtainc^d  a  lever,  which 
T  got  fixed  under  the  edge  of  the  stone,  and  with  a  little  exer- 
tion raised  it  up.  I  looked  in,  and  there  indeed  did  I  behold 
tiie  plates,  the  llrini  and  Thummim,  and  the  breasti)late,  as 
stated  by  the  messenger.  The  box  in  which  they  lay,  was 
formed  by  laying  stones  together  in  some  kind  of  cement.  In 
the  bottoTii  of  the  box,  were  laid  two  stones  crossways  of  the  box, 
and  on  these  stones  lay  the  i)lates  and  the  other  things  with 
them.     I  made  an  attempt  to  take  them  out,  but  was  forbidden 


JOSEPH'S  FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  HILL  CUMORAH.  15 

by  the  messenger,  and  was  again  informed  that  the  time  for 
bringing  them  forth  had  not  yet  arrived,  neither  would,  until 
four  years  from  that  time;  but  he  told  me  that  I  should  come 
to  that  place  precisely  in  one  year  from  that  time,  and  that  he 
would  there  meet  with  me,  and  that  I  should  continue  to  do  so 
until  the  time  should  come  for  obtaining  the  plates." 

As  Joseph  stood  by  the  sacred  deposit  "gazing  and  admiring, 
the  angel  said,  'Look!'  And  as  he  thus  spake,  he  beheld  the 
Prince  of  Darkness,  surrounded  by  his  innumerable  train  of 
associates.  All  this  passed  before  him,  and  the  heavenly 
messenger  said,  'All  this  is  shown,  the  good  and  the  evil,  the 
holy  and  impure,  the  glory  of  Clod,  and  the  power  of  darkness, 
that  you  may  know  hereafter  the  two  powers,  and  never  be 
influenced  or  overcome  by  the  wicked  one.  Behold,  whatso- 
e^'er  enticeth  and  leadeth  to  good  and  to  do  good  is  of  God, 
and  whatsoever  doth  not  is  of  that  wicked  one.  It  is  he  that 
filleth  the  hearts  of  men  with  evil,  to  walk  in  darkness  and 
blaspheme  God  ;  and  you  may  learn  from  henceforth  that  his 
ways  are  to  destruction,  but  the  way  of  holiness  is  peace  and 
rest.  You  cannot,  at  this  time,  obtain  this  record,  for  the  com- 
mandment of  God  is  strict,  and  if  ever  these  sacred  things  arc 
obtained,  they  must  be  bv  praver  and  faithfulness  in  obejang 
the  Lord.'  " 

Many  other  principles  were  revealed  to  Joseph  by  the  angel, 
who  then  made  the  following  prophetic  declarations : 

"I  give  unto  you  another  sign,  and  when  it  comes  to  pass, 
then  know  that  the  Lord  is  God,  and  that  He  will  fulfill  His  pur- 
poses, and  that  the  knowledge  which  this  record  contains  will 
go  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people  under 
the  whole  heaven.^  This  is  the  sign:  when  these  things  begin 
to  be  known,  that  is,  when  it  is  known  that  the  Lord  has  shown 
you  these  things,  the  workers  of  iniquity  will  seek  your  over- 
throw. They  will  circulate  falsehoods  to  destroy  your  reputa- 
tion, and  also  will  seek  to  take  your  life ;  but  remember  this,  if 
you  are  faithful  and  shall  hereafter  continue  to  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Lord,  you  shall  be  preserved  to  bring 
these  things  forth ;  for  in  due  time  He  will  give  you  a  com- 
mandment to  come  and  take  them.  When  they  are  interprete<i 
the  Lord  will  give  the  holy  priesthood  to  some,  and  they  shall 
begin  to  proclaim  this  gospel  and  baptize  by  water,  and  after 
that  they  shall  have  power  to  give  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  lay- 
ing on  of  their  hands.  Then  will  persecution  rage  more  and 
more;  for  the  iniquities  of  men  shall  be  revealed,  and  those 
v.'ho  are  not  built  upon  the  Kock  will  seek  to  overthrow  the 
church;  but  it  will  increase  the  more  opposed,  and  spread  far- 
ther and  farther,  increasing  in  knowledge  till  they  shall  be 
sanctified,  and  receive  an   inheritance  where  the  glory  of  God 


16  THE  ^rARTlTlS. 

will  rest  upon  them;  and  when  this  takes  place,  and  all  things 
are  prepared,  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel  will  be  revealed  in  the 
north  c'ountrj',  whither  they  have  been  for  a  long  season ;  and 
when  this  is  fulfilled  will  be  brought  to  pass  that  sajang  of  the 
prophet, — 'And  the  Redeemer  shall  come  to  Zion,  and  unto 
them  that  turn  from  trangression  in  Jacob,  saith  the  Lord. ' 
But  notwithstanding  tlie  workers  of  iniquity  shall  seek  your 
destruction,  the  arm  of  the  Lord  will  be  extended,  and  you  will 
be  borne  oif  conqueror  if  you  keep  all  His  commandments. 
Your  name  shall  be  known  among  the  nations,  for  the  work 
which  the  Lord  will  perform  by  your  hands  shall  cause  the 
righteous  to  rejoice  and  the  wicked  to  rage;  with  the  one  it 
shall  be  had  in  honor,  and  with  the  other  in  reproach ;  yet, 
with  these  it  shall  be  a  terror,  because  of  the  great  and  mar- 
velous work  which  shall  follow  the  coming  forth  of  this  fullness 
of  the  gospel.  Now,  go  thy  way,  remembering  what  the  Lord 
hath  done  for  thee,  and  be  dihgent  in  keeping  His  command- 
ments, and  He  will  deliver  thee  from  temptations  and  all  the 
arts  and  devices  of  the  wicked  one.  Forget  not  to  pray,  that 
thy  mind  may  become  strong,  that  when  He  shall  manifest  unto 
thee  thou  mayest  have  power  to  escape  the  evil  and  obtain 
these  precious  things. 

After  this  vision,  Joseph,  in  consequence  of  the  poor  circum- 
stances of  his  father,  left  home  and  obtained  employment  from 
a  Mr.  Josiah  Stoal,  of  Chenango  County,  New  York.  While 
employed  by  this  gentleman,  he  became  acquainted  with  Miss 
Emma  Hale,  daughter  of  Isaac  Hale.  This  acquaintance 
resulted  in  the  marriage  of  the  two  on  the  27th  of  Januarj^, 
1827.  Miss  Hale's  parents  were,  at  first,  much  opposed  to  the 
match,  on  account  of  the  strong  prejudice  against  Joseph, 
resulting  from  his  having  seen  a  vision  ;  but  they  finally  became 
reconciled. 


Isaiah's  prophecy  concerning  the  last  days.  17 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE  EX^VMPLE  set  BY  JOSEPH  SMITH  —  PREDICTIONS  FUL- 
FILLED IN  HIS  PERSECUTION — PROOF  THAT  HE  WAS  NOT 
A  "false  prophet"  — VISIT  AND  VIEW  THE  SACRED 
RECORDS  ONCE  A  YEAR— OBTAIN  POSSESSION  OF  THEM— 
DEVICES  OF  HIS  ENEMIES  TO  SECURE  THEM  —  REMOVAL 
TO  PENNSYLVANIA  —  BOOK  OF  MORMON  TRANSLATED 
AND  PUBLISHED  —  ITS  TITLE  AN  ANCIENT  ONE— CHURCH 
ORGANIZED  —  MOBBED,  TARRED  AND  FEATHERED  — 
PREACH  TO  MOBBERS — CHILD  DIES— MOBS  IN  OHIO  AND 
mSSOURI— RELIGION  THEIR  ONLY  OFFENSE— HOUSE  TORN 
j)OWN  —  PRESS  CONFISCATED— TARRED  AND  FEATHERED 
—DRIVEN  TO  PRAIRIES  AND  WOODS  —  CROSS  THE  mS- 
SOURI — FIND   REFUGE. 

THE  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  all  the  manifestations  and 
revelations  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  quotations,  were 
given  to  Joseph  from  earlj^  in  the  spring  of  1820,  up  to  the 
21st  of  September,  1823. 

These  precious  blessings  were  bestowed  upon  him  through 
the  channel  which  the  Lord  has  ordained  by  which  a 
knowledge  of  Himself,  together  with  the  doctrines  of  salvation, 
are  to  flow  to  the  children  of  men.  These  blessings  were  given 
in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith,  rendered  to  Him  from  a  sin- 
cere and  honest  heart.  And  these  things  took  place  at  a  time 
when  "darkness  covered  the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the  minds 
of  the  people.  {Isaiah  xxix.  13-14.)  "Wherefore  the  Lord 
said.  Forasmuch  as  this  people  draw  near  me  with  their  mouth, 
and  with  their  hps  do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their  heart 
far  from  me,  and  their  fear  toward  me  is  taught  by  the  pre- 
cepts of  men :  therefore,  behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  mar- 
velous work  among  this  people,  even  a  marvelous  work  and  a 
wonder:  for  the  wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish,  and  the 
understanding  of  their  pi-udent  shall  be  hid. 


18  THE  MARTYRS. 

To  be  sure,  people  prayed  in  those  days ;  they  offered  long 
prayers,  to  be  seen  and  heard  of  men,  in  public  places,  (as 
many  do  now),  that  they  might  get  praise.  But  here  was 
a  youth  who  was  honest-hearted.  Beared  to  follow  his 
father's  plow,  he  imbibed  inspirations  of  humility  from 
the  rural  walks  of  life  —  amidst  fields  and  woods,  the  hills  and 
and  waving  grain,  and,  like  David  of  old.  among  the  lowing 
herds.  His  niind  was  untainted  by  the  conflict  of  opinions  that 
jan-ed  the  sects  and  turned  their  feet  from  the  old  paths  where 
apostles  and  prophets  were  wont  to  tread.  He  looked  in  vain 
to  the  existing  creeds.  In  his  honest  soul  there  was  a  void 
they  could  not  fill ;  a  longing  for  certainties  they  could  not  pro- 
duce. Turning  from  them  all,  retreating  from  the  gaze  of 
men,  he  sought  seclusion  in  the  silent  woods,  where  no  eyes 
could  behold  and  no  ears  hear  him  but  those  of  God  and  His 
angels.  "He  that  asketh  in  secret  shall  be  rewarded  openly," 
is  a  promise  made  by  the  Savior  Himself,  agreeing  with  that  of 
James,  already  quoted;  and,  by  acting  in  accordance  with 
these,  Joseph  Smith  proved  himself  worthy  of,  and  actually 
did  receive,  the  promised  blessing. 

Yet  when  he  told  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  he  was 
mocked,  abused,  and  shunned  by  the  wicked ;  and  professors 
of  religion  declared  it  could  not  be  true  that  he  had  been 
favored  with  a  xhum  ;  that  he  had  not  heard  the  voices  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son ;  that  he  had  not  seen  an  holy  angel  and 
listened  to  insi)ired  words  from  his  lips;  for,  said  they,  these 
things  all  ceased  with  the  ancients;  they  are  all  done  away, 
and  God  will  never  more  appcsar  to  men  in  the  flesh  or  send 
angels  to  reveal  His  will. 

It  is  ardently  hoi)ed  that  the  rising  generation,  the  \oLiug 
especially  among  the  Latter-day  Saints,  will  use  this  great  key 
to  which  reference  is  here  made  and  follow  the  example  of  the 
prophet  Joseph  in  his  boyhood,  that  none  of  them  may  longer 
say  they  believe  the  gospel  is  true  because  father  and  mother 
say  so;  but  that  they  may  learn  from  God,  by  the  manifesta- 
tions of  His  Spirit  to  them,  that  the  gospel  is  true;  that  God 
lives  and  His  kingdom  is  being  established  upon  the  earth  to 
stand  forever. 


PREDICTIONS  FULFILLED  IN  JOSEPH  S  PERSECLTIONS.  19 

This  knowledge  is  within  their  reach.  Ask  and  receive; 
inquire  and  you  will  not  be  turned  away  empty ;  but  you  can 
hiow  of  these  things  for  "yourselves  and  not  for  another." 
It  is,  in  part,  for  the  benefit  of  the  youth,  the  thousands  who 
have  been  born  since  the  martyrdom  of  Joseph  and  Hyruni 
Smith,  as  well  as  the  multitudes  of  people  who  have  since  come 
from  the  nations  of  the  earth  and  the  islands  of  the  sea,  that 
the  writer  has  undertaken  to  collate  and  print  some  of  the  lead- 
ing facts  connected  with  the  rise  of  this  Church  and  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  these  first  and  leading  champions  of  the  w^ork  of 
God  upon  the  earth. 

But  the  oldest  living  members  of  the  Church;  those  who 
have  stood  side  by  side  with  these  noble  martyrs ;  those  who 
were  with  them  in  prison ;  those  who  offered  their  lives  to  save 
that  of  the  Prophet,  and  were  the  guards  and  protectors  of  his 
person ;  those  who  have  passed  through  mobs  and  seen  the 
])lood  of  the  imiocent  shed  without  provocation;  those  who 
have  been  deprived  of  liberty  and  driven  into  exile,  and  whose 
forms  are  bent  wdth  exposure  and  whose  heads  are  white  with 
the  frosts  of  time — they,  too,  may  derive  some  consolation  by 
perusing  this  brief  narrati^'e  of  past  incidents  in  which  they  were 
honored  to  take  a  part. 

Special  attention  should  be  gi\  en  to  the  latter  portion  of  the 
angefs  message,  which  foretold  the  persecutions  in  store  for 
Joseph,  and  not  for  him  alone,  but  for  all  those  who  should 
thereafter  receive  the  Priesthood  and  take  a  part  in  the  min- 
istry. Throughout  the  whole  of  Joseph  Smith's  Hfe,  from 
that  time  up  to  his  tragic  death,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  inci- 
dents herein  narrated,  the  words  of  the  angel  were  literally 
fulfilled,  and  they  have,  also,  up  to  the  present  day,  been 
proved  tiiie  in  the  case  of  those  who  accepted  the  testimony  of 
J  oseph  and  obeyed  the  gospel  he  taught.  These  things  were  thus 
declared  in  the  veiy  beginning,  and  marked  out  as  being  among 
the  characteristic  features  of  the  people  of  God.  until  the  Prince 
of  Darkness  shall  be  overthrown. 

Thus  was  Joseph  Smith  given  to  understand,  in  the  very 
commencemet  of  his  public  career,  what  he  might  expect  as  a 
consequence  of  his  obedience  to  the  requirements  of  the 
Almighty ;  and  had  he  not  been  a  noble  spirit  and  inspired  for 


20  THE  MARTYl^S. 

the  work,  he  must  certainly  have  shrunk  from  the  task.  The 
fact  of  his  making  known  these  predictions  of  the  angel,  and 
thus  warning  his  followers  of  what  they  must  undergo,  is  a 
strong  proof  that  he  was  not  the  "false  prophet"  that  many 
have  declared  him  to  be,  and  that  he  had  no  ulterior  motives 
in  asking  people  to  accept  the  doctrines  ho  taught.  A  false 
prophet,  establishing  a  delusion,  would  have  offered  a  more 
tempting  picture  than  this  to  those  he  wished  to  ensnare. 

Once  in  each  year,  after  the  interview  with  the  angel,  before 
referred  to,  in  1823,  Joseph  repaired  to  the  hill  where  the 
plates  were  still  deposited,  where  he,  each  time,  met  with  this 
same  heavenly  messenger  and  received  much  further  instruc- 
tion, until  the  time  had  fully  arrived  when  the  plates  were  to  be 
delivered  into  his  hands,  which  took  place  on  the  22nd  of  Sep- 
tember, 1827.  And  so  true  were  the  words  of  the  angel  as  to 
the  persecutions  that  were  to  befall  Joseph,  when  he  should 
come  in  possession  of  these  sacred  records,  that  while  he  was 
returning  home,  with  them  in  his  possession,  he  was  waylaid  by 
two  men  who  had  secreted  themselves  purposely  to  rob  him. 
He  was  struck  with  a  club;  but  finally  succeeded  in  eluding 
them  and  reached  his  father's  house  in  safety. 

False  rumors  and  misrepresentations,  as  to  his  character, 
were  put  in  circulation.  "The  house  was  frequently  beset  by 
mobs  nnd  evil  designing  persons.  Several  times  he  was  shot 
at  and  verj'  narrowly  escaped.  Every  device  was  used  to  get 
the  plates  away  from  him.  And  being  continually  in  danger 
of  his  life  from  a  gang  of  abandoned  wretches,  he  at  length  con- 
cluded to  leave  the  place  and  go  to  Pennsylvania ;  and  accord- 
ingly packed  up  his  goods,  putting  the  plates  in  a  barrel  of 
beans,  and  proceeded  upon  his  journe.y.  He  had  not  gone  far 
before  he  was  overtaken  by  an  officer  with  a  search-warrant, 
who  flattered  himself  with  the  idea  that  he  should  surely 
obtain  the  plates.  After  searching  very  diligently,  he  was  sadly 
disappointed  at  not  finding  them.  Joseph  drove  on,  but  before 
he  got  to  his  journey's  end  he  was  again  overtaken  by  an  offi- 
cer on  the  same  business,  and  after  ransacking  the  wagon  very 
carefully,  he  went  his  way  as  much  chagrinned  as  the  first,  at 
not  being  able  to  discover  the  object  of  his  research.  Without 
any  further  molestation  he  pursued  his  journey  until  he  came 


TRANSLATION  OF  THE  RECORDS.  21 

into  the  northern  part  of  Pennsylvania,  near  the  Susquehannah 
river,  in  which  part  his  flither-in-law  resided." 

As  soon  as  he  provided  himself  with  a  home,  he  began  the 
translation  of  the  plates,  by  the  gift  and  power  of  Grod,  through 
the  means  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  This  he  continued, 
having  for  his  scribe,  most  of  the  time,  Oliver  Cowdery,  until 
the  records  upon  the  plates  were  all  translated  with  the  excep- 
tion of  some  which  were  sealed,  and  which  the  angel  informed 
him  were  not  then  to  be  translated.  The  portion  translated 
was  finally  printed  in  the  fore  part  of  the  year  1830,  the 
means  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  same  being  furnished  by 
Martin  Harris. 

In  relation  to  the  title  of  the  book,  Joseph  says,  in  his  his- 
tory : 

"I  wish  to  mention  here,  that  the  title  page  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  is  a  literal  translation,  taken  from  the  very  last  leaf, 
on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  collection  or  book  of  plates,  which 
contained  the  record  which  has  been  translated,  the  language 
of  the  whole  running  the  same  as  all  Hebrew  writing  in  general ; 
and  that  said  title  page  is  n'ot  by  any  means  a  modern  compo- 
sition, either  of  mine  or  any  other  man's  who  has  lived  or  does 
live  in  this  generation.  Therefore,  in  order  to  correct  an  error 
which  generally  exists  concerning  it,  I  give  below  that  part  of 
the  title  page  of  the  English  version  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
which  is  a  genuine  and  literal  translation  of  the  title  page  of  the 
original  book  of  Mormon,  as  recorded  on  the  plates  — 

THE  BOOK   OF   MORMON. 

An  account  icritten  hy  the  hand  of  Mormon,  upon  Plates,  taken 
from  the  Plates  of  NepM.''' 

In  the  meantime  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  had  been  organized.  This  organization  was  the  result 
of  revelations  to  Joseph  Smith,  and  occurred  at  the  house  of 
Peter  Whitmer,  Sen.,  in  Fayette,  Seneca  County,  State  of 
New  York,  on  the  sixth  day  of  April,  A.  D. ,  eighteen  hundred 
and  thirty.  Joseph  had  also  received  many  visits  from  heav- 
enly beings  conferring  keys  upon  him  which  they  had  held  in 
former  dispensations — the  keys  of  the  Aaronic  and  Melchise- 
dek  Priesthoods,  etc. 

The  principal  theme  dwelt  upon  in  this  little  volume,  is,  in 
some  respects,  an  unpleasant  one.     It  is  not  agreeable  to  dwell 


I'l  THE  3IARTYRS. 

Upon  topics  which  rend  the  heart  and  shock  sensibihty  ;  but 
when  deeds  of  violence  have  been  committed  and  the  innocent 
phmged  into  conditions  of  unmerited  suffering,  it  is  but  the 
performance  of  duty  to  vindicate  the  injured.  When  the  hon- 
est and  meek  in  heart  are  mahgned  and  their  best  and  noblest 
motives  construed  for  evil,  it  is  but  the  work  of  justice  that  the 
pen  should  wield  its  potent  influence  in  their  defense.  When 
the  high-minded  are  sought  to  be  debased,  and  the  patriotic 
and  loyal  have  their  truest  acts  of  allegiance  given  the  coloring 
of  treason,  by  unprincipled  religious  partizans,  it  should  be  the 
privilege  of  any  who  choose,  to  champion  their  just  cause.  It 
is  painful  to  reflect  that  deeds  partaking  of  barbaric  cruelty, 
like  the  ones  still  to  be  refeiTcd  to,  have  really  transpired  in 
our  beloved  America,  the  land  of  boasted  political  liberty  and 
freedom  of  conscience. 

The  rage,  malice  and  wicked  feeling  that  existed  in  the 
hearts  of  the  ungodly  against  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  were 
not  just  fanned  into  a  blaze  during  the  last  few  months  of  their 
citizenship  in  Illinois.  As  alread\^'  shown,  this  cruel  and  unre- 
lenting spirit  of  mobocracy  was  inaugurated  from  the  very  day 
and  hour  that  Joseph  was  charged  with  the  Divine  trust  and 
became  the  chosen  mouthpiece  of  God  to  man.  And,  not 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  only,  but,  after  the  Church  was 
organized  and  the  Priesthood  was  conferred  upon  others  and 
they  began  to  preach  the  gospel  and  to  baptize  by  immersion 
in  water,  and  they  held  the  power  to  confer  the  Holy  Ghost  by 
the  laying  on  of  hands,  then,  as  the  angel  foretold,  did  ''perse- 
cution rage  more  and  more."  All  who  took  a  part  in  the  min- 
istry in  those  early  times,  and  those  who  have  done  go  from 
that  day  to  the  present,  have  had  to  contend  with  the  powers 
and  machinations  of  the  Prince  of  Darkness. 

An  account  of  the  mobbing  which  took  place  (March  25th, 
1832,)  at  Hiram,  where  Joseph  lived,  at  the  time,  with  ''Father 
Johnson, " '  is  thus  related  by  Joseph  : 

"On  the  2r)th  of  March,  the  twins  before  mentioned,  which 
had  been  sick  of  the  measles  for  some  time,  caused  us  to  be 
broken  of  our  rest  in  taking  care  of  them,  especially  my  wife. 
In  the  evening  I  told  her  she  had  better  retire  to  rest  with  one 
of  the  children,  and  I  would  watch  with  the  sickest  child.     In 


THE  MOBBING    AT  HIRAM.  -i.i 

the  night  she  told  me  I  had  better  lay  down  on  the  trundle  bed, 
and  1  did  so,  and  was  soon  after  awoke  by  her  screainnig  wwr- 
(ler!  when  1  found  myself  going  out  of  the  door,  ni  the  hands 
of  about  a  dozen  men  ;  son^ie  of  whose  hands  were  in  my  hair,^ 
and  some  hold  of  mv  shirt,  drawers  and  limbs.  The  foot  ot 
the  trundle  ])ed  was  towards  the  door,  leaving  only  room  enough 
for  the  door  to  swing.  .My  wife  heard  a  gentle  tapping  on  the 
windows,  which  she  then  took  no  particular  notice  ol,  (but  which 
was  unquestionablv  designed  for  ascertaining  whether  we  were 
all  asleep,  j  and  soon  after  the  mob  burst  open  the  door  and 
surrounded  the  bed  in  an  instant,  and,  as  i  said,  the  first  1 
knew  1  was  going  out  of  the  door  in  the  hands  of  an  infuriated 
mob.  1  made  a  desperate  struggle,  as  i  was  forced  out.  to 
extricate  mvself,  but  only  cleared  one  leg,  with  which  I  rnade  a 
pass  at  onenian,  and  he  fell  on  the  door  steps.  I  was  imme- 
diateh'  confined  again;  and  they  swore  by  G^od,  they  would 
kill  me  if  I  did  not  be  still,  which  quieted  me.  As  they  passed 
around  the  house  with  me,  the  fellow  that  I  kicked  came  to  me 
and  thrust  his  hand  into  my  face,  all  covered  with  blood,  (tor  1 
hit  him  on  the  nose, )  and  with  an  exulting  horse  laugh,  mut- 
tered;  'ge,  gee,  G—d  damn  ye,  I'll  fix  ye.' 

^•Then  they  seized  me  by  the  throat,  and  held  on  till  I  lost  my 
breath.  After  I  came  to.  as  they  passed  along  with  me,  about 
thirtv  rods  from  the  house,  I  saw  Elder  lligdon  stretched  out 
on  the  ground,  whither  they  had  dragged  him  by  the  heels.  1 
supposed  he  was  dead. 

'  'I  began  to  plead  with  them,  saying,  \you  will  have  mercy,  and 
spare  mv  life,  I  hope. '  To  which  they  replied,  '  G—d  damn  ye, 
call  on  yer  God  for  help,  well  show  ye  no  mercy  ;^  and  the 
people  beo-an  to  show  themselves  in  every  direction  ;  one  com- 
ing from  "the  orchard  had  a  plank,  and  I  expected  they  would 
kin  me,  and  carry  me  off  on  the  plank.  They  then  turned  to 
the  risht,  and  went  on  about  thirty  rods  farther,  about  sixty 
rods  from  the  house,  and  thirty  from  where  I  saw  Elder  Kig- 
don,  into  the  meadow,  where  they  stopped,  and  one  said, 
'Simonds,  Simonds"  (meaning,  I  supposed,  Simonds  Kider,) 
'pull  up  his  drawers,  pull  up  his  drawers,  he  wiU  take  cold.' 
Another  replied:  'aint  ye  going  to  kilVimf  aint  ye  going  to 
kill  'imf  when  a  group  of  mobbers  collected  a  little  way  oft, 
and  said:  -Simonds.  Simonds.  come  here;'  and  Simonds 
charged  those  who  had  hold  of  me  to  keep  me  from  touching  the 
ground,  (as  thev  had  done  all  the  time)  lest  I  should  get  a 
spring  upon  them.  They  went  and  held  a  council,  and  as  I 
could  occasionally  overhear  a  word,  I  supposed  it  was  to  know 
whether  it  was  best  to  kill  me.  They  returned,  after  a  while, 
when  1  learned  that  they  had  concluded  not  to  kill  me,  but 
pound  and  scratch  me  well,  tear  oft"  my  shirt  and  drawers,  and 
leave  me  naked:  one  cried,  'Simonds,  Simonds,  ivheres  the  tar 


24  THE  MARTYRS. 

bucJcetf  ^I  doiit  know,'  answered  one,  ''where 'tis;  Elis  left 
it. '  They  ran  back  and  fetched  the  bucket  of  tar,  when  one 
exclaimed,  ''G — d  damn  it,  let  us  tar  up  his  mouth  f  and  they 
tried  to  force  the  tar-paddle  into  my  mouth  ;  I  twisted  my  head 
around,  so  that  they  could  not;  and  they  cried  out,  ^G — d 
damn  ye,  hold  up  yer  head,  and  let  us  give  ye  som,e  tar. '  _  They 
then  tried  to  force  a  vial  into  my  mouth,  and  broke  it  in  my 
teeth.  All  my  clothes  were  torn  off  me  except  my  shirt  collar; 
and  one  man  fell  on  me  and  scratched  my  body  with  his  nails 
like  a  mad  cat,  and  then  muttered  out :  '  G — d  damn  ye,  that's 
the  way  the  Holy  Ghost  falls  on  folks.' 

"Thej^  then  left  me,  and  I  attempted  to  arise,  but  fell  again;  1 
pulled  the  tar  away  from  my  lips,  etc. ,  so  that  I  could  breathe 
more  freely,  and  after  awhile  I  began  to  recover,  and  raised 
myself  up,  wdien  I  saw  two  lights.  I  made  my  way  towards 
one  of  them,  and  found  it  was  Father  Johnson's.  When  I  had 
come  to  the  door,  I  w^as  naked,  and  the  tar  made  me  look  as 
though  I  had  been  covered  wdth  blood,  and  when  my  wife  saw 
me  she  thought  I  was  all  mashed  to  pieces,  and  fainted.  Dur- 
ing the  affray  abroad,  the  sisters  of  the  neighborhood  had  col- 
lected at  my  room.  I  called  for  a  blanket ;  they  threw  me  one 
and  shut  the  door  ;  I  wrapped  it  around  me  and  went  in. ' ' 

In  this  inhuman  onslaught,  Sidney  Rigdon  was  dragged  by 
his  heels  over  the  frozen  ground  until  his  head  was  badly  las- 
cerated,  which  rendered  him  delirious  for  several  days.  "Father 
Johnson' '  was  also  roughly  handled.  Joseph' s  friends  spent  the 
remainder  of  the  night  in  removing  the  tar  and  washing  and 
cleansing  his  body,  so  that  he  could  be  clothed  again.  The 
next  day  was  Sunday,  and,  true  to  his  mission,  and  agreeably 
with  his  determined  purpose  to  do  the  will  of  heaven,  he  w^ent 
to  meeting,  with  his  "fiesh  all  scarified  and  defaced,"  and 
preached  to  a  congregation,  among  whom  were  the  identical 
mobbers  who  had  thus  invaded  his  home,  dragged  him  from 
his  imploring  wife  and  sick  children,  and  abused  him  in  a  man- 
ner disgraceful  even  to  the  character  of  savages. 

Owing  to  the  exposure  to  which  the  sick  children  were  sub- 
jected through  this  sudden  and  cruel  demonstration,  one  of 
them  received  a  severe  cold  and  died  soon  afterwards. 

The  mobbers  were  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  professors  of  reli- 
gion. Simonds  llider,  the  leader  of  the  mob,  was  a  Campbellite 
preacher.  Not  satisfied  with  the  cruelties  inflicted,  they  kept 
up  their  aggressive  demonstrations  around  "Father  Johnson's" 
for  some  time  afterwards. 


INDUSTRY  OF  THE  SAINTS.  25 

The  spirit  ofmobocracy  also  prevailed,  at  that  time,  in  Kirt- 
land,  (Ohio,)  and,  more  or  less,  all  through  that  region  of 
country  the  Saints  were  much  opposed  and  persecuted.  And 
it  was  not  confined  to  that  locality. 

In  Missouri,  at  Independence,  Jackson  County,  where  a 
colony  or  settlement  of  some  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  Latter- 
day  Saints  were  located,  great  troubles  and  perplexities  existed. 
It  is  regretted  that  the  limits  of  these  pages  will  not  admit 
of  giving  a  more  lengthy  account  of  these  difficulties.  But  let 
us  glance  at  a  few  of  their  leading  features. 

The  Saints  in  Jackson  County  were  generally  poor  as  to  this 
world's  goods  ;  yet,  by  their  industry,  they  had  provided  them- 
selves generally  with  homes  and  purchased  extensive  tracts  of 
land.  A  printing  press  had  been  established  and  a  paper  was 
printed  monthly,  entitled  The  Evening  and  Morning  Star, 
edited  by  W.  W.  Phelps.  Sidney  A.  G-ilbert  was  conducting 
quite  a  thriving  mercantile  business,  and  several  mechanical 
industries  engaged  the  attention  of  their  enterprising  artizans ; 
but  ^agriculture  was  their  most  common  pursuit. 

Their  religion  taught  them  to  respect  the  laws  of  the  State, 
which  they  studiously  observed;  but  theiv  union  and  con- 
scientious convictions  of  the  true  and  living  Grod,  stood  out  m 
plain  contradistinction  to  the  conflicting  sentiments  and  confused 
ideas  of  the  religionists  of  that  region,  and  herein  was  the  bona 
fide  cause  of  their  off"ending.  For  this  their  neighbors  should 
not  have  felt  agrieved,  as  the  religion  taught  by  our  people  was 
the  true  religion  of  the  Bible,  which  was  ever>-where  held  up  as 
the  foundation  for  Christian  belief  Faith  in  God  and  in  His 
Son  Jesus  Christ,  repentance  and  baptism  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  and  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  by  those  holding  the  Priesthood,  were  among  the  lead- 
ing doctrines.  But  they  said  the  Saints  were  presumptuous 
and  believed  in  prophets,  in  apostles,  in  gifts  of  healing,  in 
speaking  in  unknown  tongues,  in  dreams  and  visions,  in  the 
ministration  of  angels,  and  in  revelations  from  God  to  the 
children  of  men.  The  Saints  plead  guilty  to  all  these  charges, 
and  announced  many  glorious  things  besides  as  being  among 
their  belief,  and  which  were  in  accordance  with  scriptural  evi- 
dence and  the  prophetic  declarations  of  the  long  list  of  ancient 


1* 


26  THE  MARTYRS. 

prophets  who  left  their  -testimonies  upon  the  sacred  pages  of 
holy  writ.  But  that  they  were  peace-breakers,  disloyal,  op- 
posed to  the  laws  of  the  State  and  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  they  plainly  denied. 

This  hatred  against  the  Jackson  County  Saints  eventuated 
in  the  most  bitter  hostility : 

"On  the  2()th  of  July,  1833,  a  mob  collected  [at  Indepen- 
dence] and  demanded  the  discontinuance  of  the  printing  in 
Jackson  County^the  closing  of  the  store — and  the  cessation  of 
all  mechanical  labors.  The  brethren  refused  compliance,  and 
the  consequence  was.  that  the  house  of  W.  W.  Phelps,  which 
contained  the  printing  establishment,  was  thrown  down,  the 
materials  taken  possession  of  by  the  mob,  many  papers 
destroyed,  and  the  family  and  furniture  thrown  out  of  doors. 

The  mob  then  proceeded  to  violence  towards  Edward  Par- 
tridge, the  Bishop  of  the  Church.  They  strij^ped  him  ot  his  hat, 
coat  and  vest,  and  daubed  him  with  tar  from  head  to  foot. 
Charles  Allen  was  treated  in  the  same  ruthless  manner,  all 
because  they  would  not  agree  to  leave  the  country,  or  deny 
"Mormonism.  J' 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  of  July;  on  the  nights  of  the 
31st  of  October  and  the  1st  of  November,  and  also  on  the  4th 
of  November,  mobbing  parties  gathered  in  the  different  set- 
tlements of  the  brethren  about  the  Blue  river,  and  Indepen- 
dence, and  committed  many  acts  of  barbarism,  really  shocking 
to  humanitj^  Houses  were  demolished  ;  the  Saints  were  shot 
at  and  beaten  with  guns,  sticks,  etc. ,  and  women  and  children 
fled  for  their  lives  to  the  prairies  and  woods.  On  the  nights  of 
November  5th  and  6th,  women  and  children  continued  to  flee 
before  the  relentless  mob. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1833,  the  banks  of  the- Missouri 
river  began  to  be  thronged  with  homeless  outcasts — the  Saints 
of  the  living  God— and  the  ferrymen  were  using  their  best 
energies  to  convey  them  to  the  Clay  County  shore,  where  they 
found  temporary  refuge  from  their  infuriated  assailants. 


SAINTS  SETTLE  IN  CLAY,  AND  OTHER  COUNTIES. 


CHAPTER    III. 

SETTLE  IN  CLAY,  RAY  CALDWELL  AND  DA  VIES  COUNTIES  — 
FAR  WEST — HOSTILITIES  RECOMMENCED — MOB  AIDED  BY 
MILITLl — BOGGS'  ORDER  TO  EXTERMINATE  THE  SAINTS 
— HAUN'S  mill  MASSACRE  AND  OTHER  OUTRAGES— MOB 
AND  MILITIA  FORCES  CONCENTRATED  AT  FAR  WEST  — 
FORMED  IN  BATTLE  ARRAY  —  MOB  OUTNUMBER  SAINTS 
TWENTY-THREE  FOLD — THREATENED  MASSACRE  —  IIIN- 
KLE's  TREACHERY  —  LEADING  SAINTS  TAKEN  PRISONERS 
— COURT  3IARTIAL— SENTENCED  TO  BE  SHOT  IN  PRESENCE 

OF  THEIR  FA3IILIES— Doniphan's  noble  action— pris- 
oners TAKEN  TO  independence— SYMPATHY  FOR  TE[EM 
— CONFINED  IN  JAIL,  HEAVILY  IRONED— A  PRISON  SCENE 
— DIGNITY  IN  CHAINS — PRISONERS  ENTER  LIBERTY  JAIL 
— GIVEN  POISON  AND  HUMAN  FLESH  TO  EAT — THE  ESCAPE. 

pOPt  some  time  after  the  expulsion  of  the  Saints  from  Jack- 
^  son  County,  they  were  permitted  to  dwell  in  comparative 
peace  in  Clay  and  Pay  Counties.  Finally  they  commenced  to 
remove  into  the  Counties  of  Caldwell  and  Davis,  which  were 
newly  organized,  and  where  much  of  the  land  was  still  the 
property  of  the  government,  to  which  titles  could  be  secured 
under  the  laws  of  pre-emption.  In  Caldwell  they  surveyed  off 
and  built  up  the  well  known  city  of  Far  West. 

This  place  is  located  about  fifty  miles  east  of  the  Missouri 
River,  and  sixty  miles  from  Independence,  upon  a  high  rolling 
prairie.  Its  elevation  commands  a  convenient  view  for  miles 
around.  The  face  of  the  country  is  undulating,  and  interspersed 
with  lines  of  timber  that  skirt  the  margins  of  several  small 
but  living  streams.  At  no  very  great  distance,  heavier  bodies 
of  timber  break  the  monotony  of  the  prairie  scene.  Ever}^- 
thing  conspires  to  make  the  situation  delightful.  The  soil  is  a 
dark  loam,  rich  and  productive.  It  soon  became  a  place  of 
considerable  business.      Several  dry-goods  stores  and  a  variety 


28  THE  MARTYRS. 

of  mechanical  pursuits  were  conducted.  Comfortable  dwel- 
lings were  erected  and  the  ground  excavated  for  the  foundation 
of  a  temple. 

As  a  result  of  their  habitual  industry  and  thrift,  farms  were 
opened,  grain  was  abundantly  raised,  and  the  faints  found 
themselves  once  more  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  necessary  tem- 
poral comforts. 

Soon  their  prosperity,  coupled  with  union.-  excited  the  envy 
and  jealousy  of  the  citizens  of  the  adjacent  Counties,  and  the 
old  Jackson  County  mob  spirit  began  to  be  rekindled  in  their 
bosoms.  In  CaiToll  and  Saline  Counties,  in  particular,  public 
:neetings  were  held  by  the  citizens  to  consider  what  could  be 
done  with  the  '  Olormons. ' '  They  went  so  far  as  to  pass  reso- 
lutions declaring  their  intentions  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 
•  "drive  the  citizens  belonging  to  the  Church  from  their  Counties, 
and,  if  possible,  from  the  State." 

As  a  kind  of  auxiliary  force,  to  act  in  sympathy  with  these 
treasonable  movements,  a  company  of  one  thousand  men  were 
marched  into  Davies  County,  and  served  thirty  days,  under  the 
command  of  Major  General  Atchison  and  Brigader  Generals 
Parks  and  Doniphan.  At  least,  this  force  did  not  seem  to  use 
itvS  energies  to  guard  the  liberties  and  rights  of  the  people, 
except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  their  encampment,  as  the 
mob  forces  were  allowed  to  roam  at  will  and  bui-n  and  plunder 
without  restraint. 

Soon  after,  the  notorious  mobocrat,  Lilbum  W.  Boggs — then 
governor  of  the  State — issued  his  cruel  and  unjustifiable 
exterminating  order,  and  called  out  a  force  of  ten  thousand 
men,  under  the  command  of  General  Clark,  to  enforce  its 
execution.  The  express  orders  were  to  exterminate  the  "Mor- 
mons," or  drive  them  from  the  State. 

In  addition  to  Clark's  force,  another  one  of  three  or  four 
thousand  strong,  under  Major  General  D.  Lucas  and  Brig- 
adier General  Moses  Wilson,  made  up  chiefly  of  the  old  Jack- 
S(jn  County  mobocrats,  preceded  the  anival  of  General  Clark, 
to  the  city  of  Far  West. 

In  the  meantime,  the  citizens  of  Caldwell  and  Davis  had 
not  been  idle.  Everything  in  their  power  had  been  done  to 
present  their  liberties  and  the  lives  of  their  wives  and  chil- 


MOBBED  AND  MASSACRED.  29 

dren.  Many  of  the  outer  settlements  were  vacated  by  them  and 
then-  corn  fields  were  trodden  down  by  the  horses  of  these  mth- 
less  brigands.  Numbers  of  the  inhabitants  fled  to  Far  West 
for  protection.  The  notorious  Cornelius  Gillum,  with  a  band 
of  desperadoes,  painted  as  Indian  warriors,  had  made  raids 
through  the  settlements,  plundering  and  committing  murders. 
Another  company  from  Carroll  County  had  murdered  some 
eighteen  or  twenty  men.  women  and  children  at  Haun's 
Mill. 

These  forces  swelled  the  ranks  of  Lucas,  at  Goose  Creek,  as 
that  General  first  began  to  menace  Far  West. 

The  combined  forces  of  Clark,  Lucas.  Gillum.  etc. ,  numbered 
some  sixteen  thousand,  perhaps  more. 

The  force  of  militia  at  Far  West  did  not  number  more  than 
about  six  or  seven  hundred. 

Xot  much  more  than  one  mile  separated  the  two  forces. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  This  was  a  momentous  question,  and 
one  which  must  be  decided  without  delay. 

A  white  flag  was  sent  out  by  each  party.  They  met  between 
the  armies.  The  message  from  the  assailants  was :  '  "We  want 
three  persons  out  of  the  city  before  we  massacre  the  rest. 

Our  people  on  learning  that  this  formidable  force  were  acting 
by  the  orders  of  the  governor,  came  to  the  conclusion  not  to 
oppose  any  properly  authorized  force,  but  to  submit  to  their 
demands,  however  unjust  they  might  be. 

Not  to  be  tedious,  it  need  only  be  said  here  that  the  result 
was,  that,  by  the  treacheiy  of  Colonel  George  M.  Hinkle, 
Messrs.  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  H\Tum  Smith.  L^Tnan 
Wight.  George  Robinson  and  Parley  P.  Pratt  were  delivered 
up  to  the  enemy,  tmder  the  '  'assurance  that  as  soon  as  peace- 
able arrangements  could  be  entered  into,'"  they  should  be 
released. 

But  brief  allusions  have  herein  been  made  to  the  causes 
which  led  to  the  Missouri  troubles  and  the  final  surrender  of 
these  men.  Nor  have  a  himdredth  part  of  the  cruelties 
inflicted  upon  an  innocent  people  for  their  rehgion  been  stated. 
By  referring  to  the  ""Histor}-  of  Joseph  Smith""  and  the 
'"Autobiography  of  Parley  P.  Pratt,"  the  reader  can  find  full 
and  detailed  accoimts  of  these  things.     Neither  is  there  space 


30  THE  IVIARTYRS. 

in  this  volume  to  record  fully  the  historj'  of  their  cruel  treat- 
ment while  held  as  prisoners. 

The  very  first  night  they  were  taken  into  custody  a  council 
of  the  officers,  or  court  martial,  sentenced  them  to  be  shot, 
notwithstanding  Lucas'  assurance  of  protection  and  liberty  as 
soon  as  peaceable  arrangements  could  be  entered  into.  This  was  to 
take  place  the  following  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  in  the  public 
square  at  Far  West.  It  was,  however,  prevented  by  Brigadier 
General  ])oniphan,  who  was  in  the  council,  and  threatened  to 
withdraw  his  command  if  they  did  not  retract.  Said  he:  "It 
is  cold  blooded  murder,  and  I  wash  my  hands  of  it." 

They  were  allowed  to  take  a  hurried  leave  of  their  heart- 
broken families  and  were  forced  away  by  their  relentless  captors 
to  Indedendence,  Jackson  County,  where  they  "were  paraded 
in  martial  triumph  through  the  principal  streets,  the  bugles 
sounding  a  blast  of  triumphant  jo}'." 

It  is  strange  that  in  that  hot-bed  of  mobocracy,  where  in 
1832-3,  the  people  raged  and  imagined  vain  things;  in  that 
County  where  the  abodes  of  peace  and  industry  were  torn  down 
and  committed  to  the  devouring  element ;  where  women  and 
children,  dismayed,  fled  to  the  woods  and  cheerless  prairies  for 
safety,  while  frosts  and  piercing  winds  chilled  their  scantily-clad 
forms ;  where  conscientious  worshipers  were  driven  from  the 
sacred  altars  where  thej^  offered  their  devotions ;  where  Ameri- 
can citizens  were  driven  from  their  lands  and  denie^^the  sacred 
rights  of  citizenship;  yes,  it  is  indeed  strange,  that  in  such  a 
locality,  such  a  people  could  be  touched  with  the  sanctifying 
emotions  of  sympathy  and  kindness  towards  the  noble  prisoners 
in  their  midst — and  these  prisoners  the  earthly  head  of  that 
religion  which  they  spurned  and  the  devotees  of  which  they 
had  so  relentlessly  driven  from  their  borders.  Yet  their  feelings 
were  touched  and  their  hearts  softened,  as  may  be  seen  by  the 
following  from  the  writings  of  Parley  P.  Pratt,  a  fellow 
prisoner  with  the  Prophet : 

"A  vacant  house  was  prepared  for  our  reception,  into  which 
we  were  ushered  through  the  crowd  of  spectators  which 
thronged  every  avenue. 

' '  The  troops  were  then  disbanded.  In  the  meantime  we  were 
kept  under  a  small  guard,  and  were  treated  with  some  degree 


SYMPATHY  FOR  THE  PRISONERS.  31 

of  liunianity,  while  liimdreds  flocked  to  sec  us  day  after  da3\ 
We  spent  most  of  our  time  in  preaching  and  conversation,  explan- 
atory of  our  doctrines  and  i)ractice.  IMuch  prejudice  was  re- 
moved, and  the  feelings  of  the  populace  began  to  be  in  our 
i'avor,  notwithstanding  their  former  wickedness  and  hatred. 
Tn  a  day  or  two  we  were  at  liberty  to  w^alk  the  streets  without 
a  guard.  We  were  finally  removed  from  our  house  of  con- 
finement to  a  hotel,  where  we  boarded  at  the  pubhc  table, 
and  lodged  on  the  iloor.  with  a  block  of  wood  for.  a  pillow. 
^^e  no  longer  had  any  guard;  we  went  out  and  came  in 
when  we  ])leased — a  certain  keeper  being  appointed  merely 
to  watcli  over  us,  and  look  to  or  wants. 

"With  him  we  walked  out  of  town  to  the  westward,  and  visited 
the  desolate  lands  of  the  Saints,  and  the  place  which,  seven 
years  before,  we  had  dedicated  for  the  building  of  a  Temple. 
This  was  a  beautiful  rise  of  ground,  about  half  a  mile  west  of 
Independence  centre.  _  When  we  saw  it  last  it  was  a  noble  forest, 
but  our  enemies  liad  since  robbed  it  of  every  vestige  of  timber, 
and  it  now  lay  desolate,  or  clothed  with  grass  and  weeds, 

"0,  how  many  feelings  did  this  spot  awaken  in  our  bosoms! 
Here  we  had  often  bowed  the  knee  in  prayer,  in  bygone  years. 
Here  we  had_ assembled  with  hundreds  of  happy  Saints  in  the 
sjjemn  meeting,  and  offered  our  songs,  and  sacraments,  and 
orisons.  But  now  all  was  solemn  and  lonely  desolation.  Not 
a  vestige  remained  to  mark  the  spot  where  stood  our  former  dwell- 
ings. They  had  long  since  been  consumed  by  fire,  or  removed 
and  converted  to  the  uses  of  our  enemies. 

_-■  "While  at  Independence,  we  were  once  or  twice  invited  to  dine 
with  (leneral  Wilson  and  some  others,  which  we  did. 

While  thus  sojourning  as  prisoners  at  large,  I  arose  one  morn- 
ing when  it  was  very  snowy,  and  passed  silently  and  unmolested 
out  of  the  hotel,  and,  as  no  one  seemed  to  notice  me,  or  call  me 
in  question,  I  thought  I  would  try  an  experiment.  I  passed  on 
eastward  through  the  town  ;  no  one  noticed  me.  I  then  took 
into  the  fields,  still  unobseiyed.  After  traveling  a  mile  I  entered 
a  forest ;  all  was  gloomy  silence,  none  were  near,  the  heavens 
were  darkened  and  obscured  by  falling  snow,  my  track  was  covered 
behind  me,  and  I  was  free.  I  knew  the  way  to  the  States  east- 
ward very  well,  and  there  seemed  nothing  to  prevent  m.y  pursuing 
my  way  thither;  thoughts  of  freedom  beat  high  in  my  bosom  ; 
wife,  children,  home,  freedom,  peace,  and  aland  of  law  and  order, 
all  arose  in  my  mind;  I  could  go  to  other  States,  send  for  my 
family,  make  me  a  home,  and  be  happ3\ 

"On  the  other  hand,  I  was  a  prisoner  in  a  State  where  all  law 
was  at  an  end.  I  was  liable  to  be  shot  down  at  any  time  without 
judge  or  jury.  I  was  liable  to  be  tried  for  my  life  by  murderous 
assassins,  who  had  already  broken  every  oath  of  office,  and  tram- 
pled on  every  principle  of  honor  or  even  humanity.     Hands 


32  THE  MARTYRS. 

already  drippiiiG:  with  the  blood  of  aged  sires,  and  of  helpless 
women  and  children,  were  reaching  out  for  my  destruction.  The 
battle  of  Crooked  River  had  already  been  construed  into  murder 
on  the  part  of  the  brave  patriots  who  there  defended  their  lives 
and  rescued  their  fellow  citizens  from  kidnappers  and  land  pirates, 
while  the  pirates  themselves  had  been  converted  into  loyal 
militia. 

"To  go  forward  was  freedom,  to  go  backward  was  to  be  sent  to 
Gi-eneral  Clark,  and  be  accused  of  the  highest  crimes,  with  mur- 
derers forjudge,  jury,  and  executioners. 

'"Go  free!"  whispered  the  tempter. 

"  'No  !'  said  I,  'never,  while  Josei)h  and  his  fellows  are  in  the 
power  of  the  enemy.  What  a  storm  of  trouble,  or  even  of  death, 
it  might  subject  them  to. ' 

'  "I  turned  on  my  heel,  retraced  my  steps,  and  entered  the  hotel 
ere  they  had  missed  me.  As  I  shook  the  snow  off  my  clothes, 
the  keeper  and  also  brother  Joseph  inquired  where  I  had  been. 
I  replied,  just  out  for  a  little  exercise.  A  walk  for  pleasure  in 
such  a  storm  gave  rise  to  some  pleasantries  on  their  part,  and 
there  the  matter  ended. 

'  'There  was  one  thing  which  buoyed  up  our  spirits  continually 
during  our,  captivity :  it  was  the  remembrance  of  the  word  of  the 
Lord  to  brother  Joseph,  saying  that  our  lives  should  all  be  given 
us  during  this  captivity,  and  not  one  of  them  should  be  lost.  I 
thought  of  this  while  in  the  wilderness  vacillating  whether  to  go  or 
stay,  and  the  thought  struck  me  :  'IlcthativiUseektosarehish'fe 
shall  lose  it ;  but  he  that  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  fiud 
it  again,  even  life  eternal.'  I  could  now  make  sure  of  my 
part  in  the  first  resurrection,  as  I  had  so  intensely  desired  when 
about  eleven  years  old.  But  0,  the  path  of  life !  How  was  it 
beset  with  trials ! 

'  'At  length,  after  repeated  demands,  we  were  sent  to  General 
Clark,  at  liichmond,  Ray  County.  Generals  Lucas  and  Wilson 
had  tried  in  vain  for  some  days  to  get  a  guard  to  accomi)any  us. 
None  would  volunteer,  and  when  drafted  they  would  not  obey 
orders;  for,  in  truth,  they  wished  us  to  go  at  liberty.  At  last 
a  colonel  and  two  or  three  officers  started  with  us,  with  their 
swords  and  pistols,  which  were  intended  more  to  protect  us  than 
to  keep  us  from  escaping.  On  this  journey  some  of  us  rode  in 
carriages  and  some  on  horseback.  Sometimes  we  were  sixty  or 
eighty  rods  in  front  or  rear  of  our  guards,  who  were  drinking 
hard  out  of  bottles  which  they  carried  in  their  pockets. 

"At  night,  having  crossed  the  ]Missouri  River,  we  put  up  at  a 
private  house.  Here  our  guards  all  got  drunk,  and  went  to  bed 
and  to  sleej).  leaving  us  their  pistols  to  defend  ourselves  in  case 
of  any  attack  from  without,  as  we  were  in  a  verj-  hostile  neigh- 
borhood. ' ' 


A    SCFNE   IN    RICHMOND   JAIL.  33 

Thus  we  see  bow  the  Lord  can  work  upon  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  men,  and  soften  their  feelings  toward  His  chosen 
servants  and  people,  when  thej>"  are  humble  and  ask  in  faith. 

The  prisoners  were  here  received  by  Col.  Sterling  Price  and 
accompanjdng  posse,  who  convej^ed  them  to  Richmond,  E ay- 
County,  where  they  underwent  an  ex  'parte  examination  before 
Judge  Austin  A.  King,  which  continued  from  the  11th  to  the 
28th  of  November,  and  resulted  in  the  committal  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Sidney  lligdon,  Lyman  Wight,  Caleb 
Baldwin  and  Alexander  McEae  to  the  jail  of  Clay  County  on 
the  charge  of  treason;  and  Morris  Phelps,  Lyman  Gibbs, 
Darwin  Chase,  Norman  Shearer,  and  Parley  P.  Pratt,  were 
committed  to  the  jail  oT  Richmond,  Ray  County,  for  the 
alleged  crime  of  murder,  said  to  have  been  committed  in  the 
act  of  dispersing  the  bandit,  Bogart,  and  his  gang. 

The  following  eloquent  extract  is  also  taken  from  the  writings 
of  Apostle  P.  P.  Pratt.  It  describes  a  scene  that  took  place  in 
the  prison  at  Richmond,  during  their  confinement  there,  and 
illustrates  one  of  the  noble  and  fearless  traits  so  often  exhibited 
in  Joseph's  character,  when  aroused  with  feelings  of  righteous 
indignation : 

"In  one  of  those  tedious  nights,  we  had  lain  as  if  in  sleep  till 
the  hour  of  midnight  had  passed,  and  our  ears  and  hearts  had 
been  pained,  while  we  had  hstened  for  hours  to  the  obscene 
jests,  the  horrid  oaths,  the  dreadful  blasphemies  and  filthy  lan- 
guage of  our  guards.  Colonel  Price  at  their  head,  as  they  re- 
counted to  each  other  their  deeds  of  rapine,  murder,  robbery,  etc. , 
which  they  had  committed  among  the  'Mormons.'  while  at  Far 
West  and  vicinity.  They  even  boasted  of  defiling  by  force, 
wives,  daughters,  and  vn-gins,  and  of  shooting  or  dashing  out 
the  brains  of  men,  women,  and  children. 

"I  had  Hstened  till  I  became  so  disgusted,  shocked,  horrified, 
and  so  filled  with  the  spirit  of  indignant  justice,  that  I  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  rising  upon  my  feet  and  rebuking  the  guards ; 
but  had  said  nothing  to  Joseph,  or  any  one  else,  although  I  lay 
next  to  him,  and  knew  he  was  awake.  On  a  sudden  he  arose 
to  his  feet,  and  spoke  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  or  as  the  roariiig 
lion,  uttering,  as  near  as  I  can  recollect  the  following  words : 

"'  ^  SILENCE^  ye  fiends  of  the  infernal  pit.  In  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  I  rebuke  you,  and  commnnd  you  to  he  still ;  I  ivill 
not  live  another  minute  and  hear  such  language.  Cease  such 
talk,  or  you  or  I  die  THIS  INSTANT r 


34  THE  MARTYRS. 

"He  cejised  to  speak.  He  stood  erect  in  terrible  majesty. 
Chained,  and  without  a  weapon ;  calm,  unruffled,  and  dignified 
as  an  angel,  he  looked  upon  the  quailing  guards,  whose  weapons 
were  lowered  or  dropped  to  tlTe  ground;  whose  knees  smote 
together,  and  who,  shrinking  into  a  corner,  or  crouching  at  his 
feet,  begged  his  pardon,  and  remained  quiet  till  a  change  of 
guards. 

"I  have  seen  the  ministers  of  justice,  clothed  in  magisterial 
robes,  and  criminals  arraigned  before  them,  while  life  ^yas  sus- 
pended on  a  breath,  in  the  courts  of  England ;  I  have  witnessed 
a  congress  in  solemn  session  to  give  laws  to  nations ;  I  have  tried 
to  conceive  of  kings,  of  roj'al  courts,  of  thrones  and  crowns,  and 
of  emperors  assembled  to  decide  the  fate  of  kingdoms ;  but 
dignity  and  majesty  have  I  seen  but  o«ce,  as  it  stood  in  .chains, 
at  midnight,  in  a  dungeon,  in  an  obscure  village  of  Missouri. 

The  prisoners  committed  to  the  Clay  County  jail  had  irons 
placed  upon  them.  They  were  then  ordered  into  a  large 
wagon  and  driven  to  Liberty,  Clay  County,  and  thrust  into 
prison. 

The  entrance  of  these  noble  prisoners  into  the  town  of  Lib- 
erty was  witnessed  by  the  writer.  The  wagon  that  contained 
them  had  a  large,  high  box,  so  that  very  little  could  be  seen  of 
the  occupants  below  their  heads  and  shoulders.  They  passed 
through  the  principal  streets.  Everybody,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, freemen  and  slaves,  whites,  blacks  and  mulattoes,  all 
jostled  together  in  an  excitement  to  see  the  "Mormon  Prophet." 
They  looked  and  gazed,  and  all  expressed  the  same  opinion : 
"Well,  they're  fine  looking  men  if  they  are  Mormons.''  "The 
Prophet  looks  like  a  gentleman. ' ' 

After  reaching  the  jail,  the  prisoners  left  the  wagon,  and,  one 
by  one,  ascended  the  steps  to  a  landing  or  platform  in  front  of 
the  entrance.  Their  steps  were  firm,  and  their  forms  erect, 
notwithstanding  irons  had  been  put  upon  them  when  they  took 
the  wagon  at  Richmond.  Joseph  was  the  last  of  them  who 
entered  the  jail,  and,  before  doing  so,  he  turned  around  and 
surveyed  the  large  crowd  that  had  collected.  He  wore  a  suit  of 
black,  and  a  cloak  of  dark  color  hung  on  his  arm.  He  uncov- 
ered his  head,  and,  with  stately  dignity  in  his  movement,  as 
his  tall,  manly  form  turned  to  enter  the  prison,  said,  "Good 
afternoon,  gentlemen,"  and  the  prison  door  was  closed  behind 
him. 


HtT:MAN  FLESH  OFFERED  TO  THE  PRISONERS.  35 

This  uiovement  made  the  spectators  very  angry.  They  said 
Joseph  was  defiant  and  did  it  for  bravado.  They  declared 
he  meant,  by  the  expression  "good  afternoon,"  to  make  his 
escape  that  night.  Joseph,  being  an  eastern  man,  expressed 
himself  according  to  eastern  custom.  A  western  man  might 
have  said,  "good  evening."  And,  for  this  slight  discrepancy, 
a  few  wished  him  immediately  brought  out,  that  they  might 
treat  him  with  violence.  The  jailor  prevented  this  ;  and,  after 
the  crowd  had  delivered  many  wicked  oaths  and  gesticulated 
their  vengeance,  they  filed  away  from  the  jail,  and  the  intrepid 
and  dauntless  spirits  bolted  within  its  walls,  were  left  to  com- 
mune in  peace  and  solitude  and  seek  the  needed  rest. 

While  confined  there,  they  lay  upon  white  oak  logs  that  had 
been  hewn.  Their  food  was  very  poor.  They  aver  that 
poison  was  administered  to  them  three  or  four  times,  and  even 
human  Jlesh  was  given  them  to  eat. 

After  being  confined  there  some  time,  Sidney  Ptigdon  was. 
released  on  bail,  and  made  his  escape  to  Illinois. 

Sometime  in  the  following  April,  the  other  i)risoners  were 
taken  to  Davies  County.  They  there  got  a  change  of  venue  to 
Boone  County,  for  which  place  they  started ;  but  on  the  way 
there  the  door  was  opened  for  their  escape.  Thej^  improved 
their  opportunity,  and,  in  the  course  of  nine  or  ten  days, 
arrived  safely  in  Quincy,  Adams  County,  Illinois. 

In  that  vicinity,  they  joined  their  families  and  found  that, 
in  view  of  Boggs'  order  for  their  extermination  or  expulsion, 
the  majority  of  the  Saints  had  already  made  their  escape  from 
Missouri,  and  found  refuge  in  diiferent  localities  in  Illinois ;  but 
the  main  portion  w^ere  settled  in  Adams  and  adjacent  Counties. 

In  a  paper  furnished  by  Hyrum  Smith,  is  the  following : 

"Governor  Boggs  and  Grenerals  Clark,  Lucas,  Wilson  and 
Gillum,  also  Austin  A.  King,  have  committed  treasonable 
acts  against  the  citizens  of  Missouri,  and  did  violate  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States,  and  also  the  Constitution  and  laws 
of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  did  exile  and  expel,  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet,  some  twelve  or  fourteen  thousand  inhabitants 
of  the  State,  and  did  murder  some  three  or  four  hundred  of 
men,  women  and  children  in  cold  blood,  in  the  most  horrid 
and  cruel  manner  possible.      And  the  whole  of  it  was  caused 


36  THE  MARTYRS. 

bj'  religious  bigotry  and  persecution,  and  because  the  '71/or- 
mons  dared  to  worship  Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates 
of  their  own  conscience,  and  agreeably  to  His  divine  will,  as 
revealed  in  the  scriptures  of  eternal  truth. ' ' 

Doubtless,  all  the  murders  that  were  committed  in  Jackson 
County,  and  from  that  time  until  the  final  expulsion  from  the 
State,  are  included  in  this  estimate. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

SAINTS  TAKE  REFUGE  IN  ILLINOIS— COMMERCE  SELECTED  AS 
A  GATHERING  PLACE — COP^GRESS  AND  VAN  BUREN  AP- 
PEALED TO  FOR  REDRESS  OF  AVRONGS — VAN  BUREN "s 
DIS(JRACEFUL  REPLY — NAUVOO  INCORPORATED— HYRUM 
SMITH  J^IADE  PATRIARCH  —  JOSEPH  SMITH  AGAIN  AR- 
RESTED—  TRIED  BEFORE  STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLASS  —  DIS- 
CHARGED—A PROPHECY  —  BOGGS'  AFFIDAVIT  —  AVOIDS 
ARREST — KIDNAPPED  AT  DIXON — BRUTAL  TREATMENT  BY 
REYNOLDS  AND  WILSON — SCENE  AT  PAWPAW  GROVE — 
FRIENDS  IN  NAUVOO  AROUSED  —  SCOUR  THE  COUNTRY 
IN  SEARCH  OF  JOSEPH  — FIND  HIM  AND  RETURN  TO 
NATTV'OO — AN  OVATION — KIDNAPPERS  ENTERTAINED  AS 
GUESTS — FURTHER  EFFORTS  OF  REYNOLDS  AND  AVILSON 
TO   CAUSE  TROUBLE. 

THE  desire  to  gather  together,  and  not  scatter  abroad,  has 
existed  in  the  bosoms  of  the  Saints  ever  since  the  Church 
was  organized.  The  true  doctrines  of  Christ  tend  to  bind 
together  the  hearts  of  His  people,  that  they  may  live  in 
unision  and  be  enabled,  by  a  close  proximity  of  dwelling,  to 
better  appreciate  each  other's  worth,  and  do  the  will  of  God. 

Hence,  those  who  are  baptized  for  the  remission  of  their 
sins  and  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  b}^  the  imposition  of  hands  by 
those  holding  authority,  are  impressed  with  a  love  for  all  the 
human  race,  and  more  especially  for  those  who  are  made  par- 
takers of  "hke  precious  faith."     When  the  Elders  travel  to 


SAINTS  TAKE  REFUGE  IN  ILLINOIS.  37 

foreign  climes  and  testify  in  the  cottages  of  the  humble,  and  carry 
conviction  to  those  who  occupy  the  higher  ranks  of  society, 
whether  they  dwell  upon  the  islands  of  the  sea  or  where  the 
monarch's  throne  is  panoplied  with  the  insignias  of  imperial 
sway,  with  one  accord  and  by  an  involuntary  impulse,  that 
infusion  of  the  divine  unction  promptly  lights  within  the  minds 
of  the  converts  its  taper  of  love,  and  turns  their  faces  Zion- 

ward. 

When  the  Saints  found  themselves  in  Illinois,  though  grate- 
ful for  a  temporary  refuge  from  the  scenes  of  rapine,  chains 
and  death,  which  had  fallen  upon  them  like  a  desolating  tem- 
pest, they  were  necessarily  in  a  scattered  condition.  But  their 
scattering  was  the  result  of  those  satanic  machinations  which 
were  first  exerted  in  the  spirit  world  when  Christ  was  the 
chosen  champion  to  redeem  fallen  man,  and  which  have  been 
ever  exerted  on  the  earth  to  forestall  and  nullify  every  effort 
that  has  been  made  to  establish  that  kingdom  which  Jehovah 
decreed  should  come  forth  in  the  last  days  and  stand  forever. 
When  the  great  Prophet  of  the  last  days  was  permitted  to 
throw  off  his  chains  and  step  forth  in  freedom  upon  the  soil  of 
Ilhnois,  his  inspired  mind  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance. 
The  spirit  that  ever  dictated  him,  now  directed  his  course  to 
take  those  steps  necessary  to  bind  up  the  broken  hearts,  and 
heal  the  wounded  spirits,  of  the  robbed  and  hunted  and  exiled 
pilgrims,  who  had  fled  from  the  tyranny  of  Boggs  and  his 
merciless  coadj  utors. 

He  sought  for  a  place  where  they  might  obtain  land  and 
gather  together,  in  hopes  that  in  Illinois,  then  so  generous  and 
hospitable,  the  blessings  guaranteed  in  the  American  Consti- 
tution might  be  enjoyed  by  th;v;n  unmole'Sted. 

After  a  short  season  of  enquiry  and  travel,  he  was  enabled  to 
find  and  secure  such  a  plase.  Cammerce,  Hancock  County, 
was  the  one  selested.  It  wis  situated  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  Mississippi.  For  some  distance  back  from  the  river  the  laud 
was  rather  level,  but  finally  quite  a  prominent  but  gradual  rise 
occurred ;  and  then  an  undulating  stretch  of  country  swept  back 
past  a  strip  of  woods,  and  out  into  the  more  rolling  prairie,  on 
to  Carthage,  and  still  firther  beyond.  The  Father  of  Waters 
swept  around  the  western  limits  of  the  city,  with  its  broad 


38  THE  MARTYRS. 

silvery-like  sheen  bending  to  the  southern  edge,  as  if  there,  to 
bid  one  last  adieu  before  flowing  onward  through  its  picturesque 
banks,  down  to  its  junction  with  the  turbid  Missouri,  and  from 
thence  still  farther  down,  at  last  to  lose  its  identity  in  '  'the  dark 
blue  sea. ' '  On  the  opposite  shore  was  the  village  of  Montrose, 
and  then  the  hills  and  prairie  lands  of  Iowa  stretched  onward 
towards  the  west,  beautiful  to  behold  when  bedecked  with  the 
diurnal  gorgeousness  of  the  setting  sun. 

Here  a  city  was  surveyed  and  thither  flocked  the  joyful 
Saints,  once  more  to  build  homes  and  erect  anew  their  altars  of 

worship. 

In  the  beginning  there  were  some  hindrances  to  be  encoun- 
tered. One  of  these  was  that,  for  a  season,  the  location  proved 
to  be  unhealthy.  Much  suff"ering  was  endured  from  ague  and 
fever. 

A  general  Conference  of  the  Church  was  held  at  Commerce, 
on  the  5th  of  October,  1839,  at  which  that  place  was  selected 
as  a  Stake  of  Zion,  and  a  place  for  the  gathering  of  the  Saints. 
Also,  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Elias  Higbee  were 
appointed  to  go  to  the  city  of  Washington  to  lay  before  Con- 
gress the  wrongs  which  had  been  inflicted  upon  the  Saints  in 
Missouri.  They  started  on  their  mission  the  29th  of  October, 
accompanied  by  0.  P.  Rockwell  and  Doctor  Robert  H.  Foster. 

The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  Brother  Higbee  arrived  in 
Washington  the  2Sth  of  November,  in  advance  of  the  other 
three,  who  were  detained  a  few  days  at  Philadelphia,  owing  to 
the  sickness  of  Elder  Rigdon.  The  next  day  they  had  an  inter- 
view with  President  Martin  Van  Buren.  At  a  subsequent 
interview,  after  Joseph  had  fully  laid  the  matter  of  the  griev- 
ances of  the  Saints  before  his  excellency.  Van  Buren  answered : 
'"'Gentlemen^  your  cause  is  just,  hut  lean  do  notlung  for  you ; 
if  I  take  up  for  you^  I  shall  lose  the  vote  of  Missouri. 

"About  four  hundred  and  ninety-one  persons  held  claims 
against  Missouri,  which  Joseph  had  presented  to  Congress. 
These  claims  amounted,  in  all,  to  one  million,  three  hundred 
and  eighty-one  th(jusand  and  forty-four  dollars  and  fifty-one 
and  a  half  cents.  But  they  were  not  all.  There  was  a  multi- 
tude of  similar  bills  which  were  to  be  presented,  and  respecting 
which  Joseph  said,  'if  not  settled  immediately,  they  will  ere 
long  amount  to  a  handsome'  sum,  increasing  by  compound 
interest.'  " 


HYRITM    SMITH  APPOINTED   PATRIARCH.  39 

The  name  of  Commerce  was  soon  dropped  and  Nauvoo, 
which  sigifies  "beautiful,"  was  substituted  in  its  stead. 

On  the  3rd,  4th  and  5th  of  October,  1S40,  a  general  Confer- 
ence was  held,  at  which  it  was  resolved  to  build  a  House  of  the 
Lord  at  Nauvoo. 

"Joseph  exerted  himself  to  obtain  a  charter  from  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State  of  Illinois  for  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  He  had 
a  charter  drawn  up,  which  was,  to  use  his  own  words,  'for  the 
salvation  of  the  Church,  and  on  principles  so  broad  that  every 
honest  man  might  dwell  secure  under  its  protective  influence, 
without  distinction  of  sect  or  party.'  The  act  incorporating 
the  city  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  and  took  eflfect  on  the 
first  Monday  in  February,  1841." 

"As  Joseph's  father  had  passed  away,  he  being  the  Patri- 
arch of  the  Church,  it  was  necessary  that  another  should  fill 
that  office.  Hyrum  Smith,  his  eldest  living  son,_  accordingly 
received  the  appointment  and  was  ordained  to  act  in  that  posi- 
tion. This  made  a  vacancy  in  the  First  Presidency,  of  which 
quorum  H3Tum  was  a  member,  and  William  Law  was,  by  rev- 
elation, appointed  to  the  place." 

"On  the  first  of  February  the  first  election  was  held  in  Nau- 
voo for  members  of  the  City  Council,  and  on  the  third  of  the 
same  month  the  City  Council  was  organized.  John  C.  Ben- 
nett was  elected  Mayor.  Joseph  was  elected  one  of  the  Coun-- 
cilors.  He  presented  several  bills  to  the  Council,  among  the 
rest  one  for  an  ordinance  organizing  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  which 
passed  the  same  day.  On  the  fourth,  steps  were  taken  to 
organize  the  Legion,  and  Joseph  was  elected  Lieutenant  G-en- 
eral  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion.  The  Legion,  at  its  organization, 
was  comprised  of  six  companies." 

On.  the  sixth  of  April,  1S41,  the  corner  stones  for  the  Tem- 
ple were  laid. 

Notwithstanding  a  considerable  time  had  elapsed  after  the 
Church  had  left  Missouri,  and,  by  their  exit,  had  complied  to 
the  utmost  with  her  governor's  wicked  requirements,  still  that 
blood-thirsty  Nero  was  not  content.  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  * 
and  others,  had  been  confined  in  her  jails,  endured  the  jeers 
and  menaces  of  the  vulgar  rabble,  tasted  poison,  had  human 
flesh  offered  them  to  eat,  arid  worn  the  iron  manacles  for  six 
months ;  yet  it  appeared  that  all  this  was  not  enough. 

On  June  5th,  1841,  at  a  hotel  in  Bear  Creek,  twenty-eight 
miles  south  of  Nauvoo,  Joseph  was  arrested  by  the  sheriff  of 
Adams  County,  Thomas  King,  and  Thomas  Jasper,  with  an 


40  THE  MARTYHS. 

officer  from  Missouri.  At  Quincy,  he  obtained  a  writ  of 
hahcas  corpus^  and  came  before  Judge  Stephen  A.  Douglass 
for  licaring,  at  Monmouth,  Warren  County,  June  9th.  Much 
excitement  prevailed  at  the  commencement  of  the  proceedings. 

"A  young  lawyer  from  Missouri  volunteered  to  plead  against 
Joseph,  and  he  tried  his  best  to  convict  him.  He  had  not 
spoken  many  minutes  when  he  turned  sick,  requested  to  be 
excused  by  the  court,  and  went  out  of  the  house  vomiting. 

"His  language  was  so  violent  that  the  judge  was  twice  under 
the  necessity  of  ordering  him  to  be  silent.  Joseph's  lawyers 
stood  up  manfully  and  honorably  in  his  defense.  They  spoke 
well,  and  0.  H.  Browning,  who  was  afterwards  a  member  of 
l*rosident  Johnson's  Cabinet  as  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  made 
a  powerful  plea,  in  which  he  told  what  lie,  himself,  had  seen  at 
Quincy,  when  the  Saints  were  driven  out  of  Missouri;  and  his 
words  were  so  touching  that  his  listeners  could  not  refrain  from 
tears,  and  even  Judge  Douglass  and  most  of  the  officers  wept. 

"In  the  evening  Brother  Amasa  Lyman  preached  a  brilliant 
discourse  in  the  Court  House,  on  the  first  principles  of  the 
gospel,  which  very  much  changed  the  feelings  of  the  people. 

"The  next  morning,  June  10th,  Judge  Douglass  delivered 
his  opinion  on  the  case.  It  was  that  Joseph  should  be  liberated. 
He  was  discharged  that  forenoon.  This  was  a  triumph  for 
liim,  and  he  felt  very  thankful  to  the  Lord  that  he  had  once 
more  been  delivered  from  tlie  clutches  of  his  cruel  persecutors. 
He  and  his  company,  numbering  about  sixty  men,  reached 
Nauvoo  on  the  11th,  and  he  was  received  by  the  Saints  with 
great  gladness. ' ' 

On  August  6th,  1842,  Joseph  delivered  the  following 
prophecy,  as  recorded  in  his  history : 

"I  prophesied  that  the  Saints  would  continue  to  suffer  much 
affliction,  and  would  be  driven  to  the  Rocky  JMountains;  many 
would  ai)()statize,  others  would  be  i)ut  to"death  by  our  ])erse- 
cutors,  or  lose  their  lives  in  consequence  of  exposure  or  disease, 
and  some  of  you  will  live  to  go  and  assist  in  making  settle- 
ments and  building  cities,  and  see  the  Saints  become  a  mighty 
])eoi)le  in  the  midst  of  the  Kocky  Mountains. ' ' 

Boggs  continued  to  thirst  for  the  IVoDhct's  blood,  and  on 
his  affidavit,  that  Joseph  Smithy  was  "accessory  before  the 
fiict  to  an  assault"  made  upon  him  "with  intent  to  kill,"  by 
some  person  whom  he  supposed  to  be  0.  V.  Rockwell,  a 
requisition  was  sent  by  Governor  Reynolds  to  Carlin,  the 
governor  of  Illinois,  for  Joseph's  arrest,  in  connection  with 
that  of  0.  P.  Rockwell. 


ELUDING  ms  PURSUERS.  41 

Joseph  knew  that  this  was  a  scheme  got  up  by  Boggs  and 
his  niobocratic  associates  to  again  deprive  him  of  hberty  and 
get  him  into  their  clutches,  that  they  miglit  have  the  privilege 
of  accomplishing,  by  assassination,  what  they  had  failed  to 
effect  by  any  form  of  law. 

Consequently,  he  secluded  himself,  and  kept  from  his  pursuers 
all  knowledge  of  his  whereabouts.  However,  sickness  in  his 
family  led  him,  upon  one  or  two  occasions,  to  visit  his  home, 
wdiere  he  at  one  time  only  escaped  those  in  pursuit,  by  passing 
out  of  the  back  door  as  they  entered  the  house  in  front.  On 
one  occasion  he  went  to  the  public  congregation,  where  he 
preached  a  powerful  discourse,  and  then  retired  again  to  his 
retreat. 

About  this  time  Governor  Carlin"s  term  of  office  expired,  and 
Thomas  Ford  Avas  inaugurated  in  his  place. 

"On  the  9th  of  December,  1842,  Willard  Richards,  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  William  Clayton  and  a  number  of  other  brethren, 
started  to  Springfield,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  to 
present  testimony  to  the  governor,  that  Joseph  was  in  Illinois 
at  the  time  Boggs  v>\as  shot.  As  he  was  in  Illinois  at  the  time, 
he  could  not  be  a  fugitive  from  the  justice  of  Missouri." 
Ford  being  in  doubt  as  to  his  right  to  interfere  with  the  action 
of  his  predecessor  in  the  matter,  "submitted  the  case  and  all 
the  papers  relating  thereto  to  six  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme 
court.  They  Avere  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the  requisition 
from  Missouri  was  illegal  and  insufficient  to  cause  Joseph's 
arrest.  Ford,  under  the  circumstances,  declined  to  act  in  the 
premises  and  advised  Joseph  to  have  a  judicial  investigation. 
Accordingly,  Joseph  submitted  to  an  arrest  at  Nauvoo,  on  the 
26th  of  December.  Joseph  went  immediately  to  Springfield, 
and  his  trial  was  commenced  before  Judge  Pope,  January  4, 
1843.  The  result  was,  that  on  the  day  following,  Judge  Pope 
delivered  his  decision  and  Joseph  was  discharged. 

While  Joseph  was  at  Springfield  he  mingled  freely  with  the 
people  and  the  leading  men  of  the  State.  His  appearance  and 
teachings  removed  the  prejudice  which  had  previously  existed, 
and  he  was  soon  treated  with  the  utmost  respect.  Eldei-s 
Orson  Hyde  and  John  Taylor  preached  in  the  State  House, 
and  their  discourses,  also,  had  a  very  pacific  influence. 


42  THE  MARTYRS. 

All  this  did  not  discourage  the  old  Missouri  mobbers,  nor 
induce  them  to  desist  from  their  wicked  persecutions  against 
the  peace  and  life  of  this  just  and  innocent  man. 

In  the  month  of  June  following,  Joseph  and  his  wife, 
Emma,  were  visiting  her  sister,  Mrs.  Wasson,  near  Dixon, 
Lee  County,  Iowa.  On  the  23rd  of  that  month,  the  following 
disgraceful  and  brutal  scene  took  place  : 

''On  the  23rd,  two  men  were  at  Dixon  trjnng  to  hire  a  man 
and  team.  The}^  said  the}^  were  'Mormon'  Elders  and  wanted 
to  see  the  Prophet.  They  obtained  the  team  an(l  drove  up 
to  Mr.  Wasson"  s  while  the  family  were  at  dinner.  They  told 
the  same  story  there:  that  they  were  'Mormon'  Elders  and 
wanted  to  see  'Brother  Joseph.'  Joseph  was  in  the  yard 
going  to  the  barn,  when  one  of  them  stepped  to  the  end  of  the 
house  and  saw  him.  He  spoke  to  Joseph  in  a  very  uncouth 
and  ungentlemanly  manner,  and  the  other  one  stepped  up  to 
him  and  collared  him.  They  lied  when  they  said  they  were 
'Mormon'  Elders.  One  of  th,em  was  Joseph  H.  Reynolds, 
sheriff  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  and  the  other  was  Con- 
stable Harmon  T.  Wilson,  of  Carthage,  Illinois.  They  pre- 
sented their  cocked  pistols  to  Joseph's  breast,  and  Reynolds 
cried  out  with  big  oaths  that  if  he  stirred  an  inch  he  would 
shoot  him.  Joseph  inquired  what  the  meaning  of  all  this  was. 
No  satisfactory  answer  was  given ;  but  the  oaths  and  threats  were 
repeated.  Joseph  told  them  'I  am  not  afraid  of  your  shooting; 
I  am  not  afraid  to  die. '  He  then  bared  his  breast  and  told 
them  to  shoot  away.  Said  he,  'I  have  endured  so  much 
oppression,  I  am  weary  of  life ;  and  kill  me  if  you  please.  I 
am  a  strong  man,  however,  and  with  my  own  natural  weapons 
could  soon  level  both  of  you ;  but  if  you  have  any  legd  process 
to  serve,  I  am  at  all  times  subject  to  law,  and  shall  not  offer 
resistance. '  Reynolds  swore  again  that  if  Joseph  said  another 
word  he  would  shoot  him.  To  this  Joseph  replied  that  he 
could  shoot  away,  he  was  not  afraid  of  his  pistols.  By  this 
time  Brother  Stephen  Markham  walked  towards  them.  W'hen 
they  saw  him  coming,  they  turned  their  pistols  from  Joseph 
to  him,  and  threatened  his  life  if  he  came  any  nearer.  He 
l)aid  no  attention  to  their  threats ;  but  continued  to  advance 
nearer.  Seeing  they  could  not  stop  him  by  their  threats  they 
turned  their  pistols  on  Jose])h  again.  They  jammed  them 
against  his  sides,  and  h(^lding  their  fingers  on  the  triggers, 
ordered  ]>rother  jMarkham  to  stand  still,  or  thoy  would  shoot 
Joseph  through.  As  Brother  Markham  was  advancing  rapidly 
towards  them,  Joseph  said  to  him,  'you  are  not  going  to 
resist  the  officers,  are  3'ou,  Brother  ^Tarkham?'  He  replied, 
'No,  not  if  they  are  officers;  1  know  the  law  too  well  for 
that.'" 


KIDNAPPED.  43 

It  would  be  gratifying  here  to  relate  the  circumstances,  in 
detail  that  followed  this  unceremonious  and  illegal  arrest.  The 
want  of  room  alone  prevents  their  insertion.  Suffice  it  to  state 
that  the  prisoner  was  persistently  abused  by  his  captors,  who 
attempted  to  run  him  into  Missouri  before  he  could  obtain  any 
legal  process  for  his  benefit.  They  did  not  want  to  give 
him  time  to  procure  a  change  of  clothes  or  bid  his  wife  good  by. 

They  several  times  threatened  to  shoot  Joseph,  who  asked 
them  why  they  did  not  shoot,  if  they  wanted  to,  and  not  so 
often  threaten  to  do  so.  They  punched  him  in  his  sides,  with 
their  pistols,  until  his  flesh  was  discolored  for  about  eighteen 
inches  in  circumference.  They  ordered  fresh  horses  to  expe- 
dite their  flight  with  him  and  get  him  out  of  Illinois.  "But 
Joseph  saw  a  person,  and  he  shouted  to  him  through  a  win- 
dow that  he  was  fiilsely  imprisoned,  and  wanted  a  lawyer. ' ' 

Two  lawyers  came  and  the  door  was  banged  in  their  faces. 
This  occurred  at  Dixon,  where  several  persons  "gathered 
around  the  hotel  door  and  gave  Reynolds  to  understand  that  if 
that  was  their  mode  of  doing  business  in  Missouri,  they  had 
another  mode  of  doing  it  in  Dixon. ' ' 

A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  obtained,  made  returnable  before 
Judge  John  D.  Caton  of  Ottawa.  A  writ  was  also  sued  out 
against  Reynolds  and  Wilson  for  private  damage  and  false 
imprisonment,  claiming  $10,000  damages.  On  their  way  to 
Ottawa,  they  stopped  for  the  night  at  Pawpaw  Grove.  The 
landlord  and  others  noticed  the  abuse  practiced  towards  Joseph 
by  his  captors. 

Early  next  morning  the  room  was  filled  with  the  citizens  of 
the  place,  anxious  to  see  the  "Mormon"  Prophet  and  hear  him 
preach.  Ilej^nolds  could  not  stand  this,  and,  pointing  to  Joseph 
said  :  "I  wish  you  to  understand  this  man  is  my  prisoner,  and 
I  want  5^ou  to  disperse :  you  must  not  gather  round  here  in  this 
way. ' ' 

"Just  as  he  said  this  a  ]Mr.  David  Town,  an  aged  gentleman, 
who  was  lame  and  carried  a  large  hickory  walking  stick,  stepped 
towards  Reynolds,  and  bringing  his  stick  down  upon  the  floor, 
cursed  him,  and  said : 

"We'll  learn  you  to  come  here  and  interrupt  gentlemen.  Sit 
down  there  (pointing  to  a  very  low  chair,)  and  sit  still.  Don't 
open  your  head  till  General  Smith  gets  through  talking.     If 


44  THE  MARTYRS. 

you  never  learned  mannei-s  in  Missouri,  we'll  teach  you  that 
gentlemen  are  not  to  be  imposed  upon  by  a  nigger-driver.  You 
can  not  kidna])  men  here.  There" '^  a  committee  in  this  grove 
that  will  sit  on  your  case  ;  and,  sir,  it  is  the  highest  tribunal  in 
the  United  States,  nsfrointts  decision  there  is  no  appeal.^ 

"Ecynolds  quietly  sat  doA\Ti,  and  Joseph  addressed  the  assem- 
bly for  an  hour-and-a-half  on  the  subject  of  marriage.  The 
company  requested  that  he  should  speak  upon  that  subject." 

"Learning  that  Judge  Caton  was  on  a  visit  to  New  York, 
the  company,  among  whoin  were  Joseph's  three  lawyers, 
returned  to  Dixon.  Here  Joseph  was  again  locked  up  in  a 
room  and  guarded. ' ' 

In  the  meantime,  William  Clayton  had  taken  passage 
on  the  steamboat  Amaranth  down  the  Mississippi  river 
to  Nauvoo,  who  conveyed  to  Hyrum  Smith  information  of  his 
brother  Joseph's  situation.  Hyrum  acted  with  great  prompt- 
ness and  energy,  and  forthwith  a  company  of  over  three  hun- 
dred men  volunteered,  and  from  their  number  about  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  men  were  selected  and  started  the  same 
evening,  on  horseback. 

As  soon  afterwards  as  possible,  other  companies  of  horse- 
men started  in  different  directions  through  the  State 
to  intercept  any  company  of  kidnappers  that  might 
attempt  to  run  him  into  Missouri.  Also  the  Steamboat  Maid 
of  Joiva,  with  Elder  John  Taylor,  and  others,  on  board,  steamed 
down  the  Mississippi  and  up  the  Illinois  river  to  Peru,  then 
back  to  Nauvoo,  to  have  an  eye  on  steamboats  and  detect,  if 
possible,  any  move  that  might  be  made  to  take  Joseph  to 
Missouri  by  such  conveyance. 

The  absence  of  Judge  Caton  made  it  necessary  that  the 
writ  of  habeas  corpus  which  Joseph  had  obtained  should  be 
renewed,  which  was  done  and  made  '  'returnable  before  the 
nearest  tribunal  in  the  Fifth  Judicial  District  authorized  to  hear 
and  determine  writs  of  habeas  corj^us.  This  was  served  imme- 
diately on  lleynolds  and  Wilson  by  the  sheriff  of  Lee  County, 
which  made  them  his  prisoners. 

Afterwards,  at  the  proper  time,  »Ioseph  told  his  lawyers  that 
the  JMunicipal  Court  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo  was  the  nearest 
tribunal  to  hear  and  determine  writs  of  habeas  corpus.  Thej'' 
examined  the  law  and  found  he  was  correct. 


MEET  FRIENDS.  45 

Joseph  started  from  Dixon  on  the  26th  of  June.  When 
about  forty-five  miles  from  that  place,  he  began  to  meet  the 
advance  of  the  companj^  from  Nauvoo,  when  he  said:  "lam 
not  going  to  Missouri  this  time.  These  are  my  boys."  The 
joy  that  was  felt  by  Joseph  and  his  accompanying  friends  at 
this  meeting  was  beyond  description;  but  his  brutal  captors 
were  seized  with  trembling.  The  company  began  to  travel  as 
much  as  possible,  in  the  direction  of  Nauvoo,  which  alarmed 
Reynolds  and  Wilson,  who  swore  "they  would  never  goto  Nau- 
voo alive."  The  sheriff  demanded  their  arms.  They  remon- 
strated, but  finally  delivered  them  to  the  sheriff. 

Some  of  the  flicts  as  to  Joseph's  position  and  prospects  for 
reaching  Nauvoo  were  expressed  to  that  city,  and,  on  the  oOth 
day  of  June,  1843  : 

"The  Nauvoo  Brass  and  Martial  Bands,  and  Joseph's  wife — 
who  had  proceeded  to  Nauvoo  after  his  arrest  —  his  brother 
Hyrum,  and  a  number  of  the  principal  inhabitants  in  carriages, 
started  to  meet  him.  By  the  time  the  company  met  Josejjh  it 
had  swelled  to  a  considerable  size,  and  with  the  company  that 
was  with  him  (one  hundred  and  forty  men  on  horseback)  the 
procession  became  an  imposing  one.  When  the  company  from 
the  city  came  up,  Joseph  said  he  thought  he  would  ride  a  little 
easier,  and  he  got  out  of  the  buggv  in  which  he  had  been  riding. 
He  embraced  his  wife  and  his  brother  Hyriim,  who  shed  tears 
of  joy  at  his  return ;  and  in  this  they  were  not  alone,  the  most 
of  the  great  company  did  the  same.  Joseph  mounted  his  favorite 
horse,  'Old  Charley,'  which  had  been  brought  out  to  meet  lii_m, 
the  band  struck  up  'Hail  Columbia,'  and  the  procession 
marched  towards  the  city. ' ' 

Joseph  was  received  by  the  Saints  in  Nauvoo  with  an  ova- 
tion.    His  entry  to  the  city  is  described  as  follows: 

'  'His  march  was  like  that  of  a  conqueror.  The  scene  was  an 
exceedingly  interesting  one.  As  the  procession  neared  the  city 
the  streets  were  lined  on  both  sides  with  the  people,  whose  faces 
beamed  with  joy  at  seeing  their  beloved  Prophet  and  leader  once 
more  safe.  Amid  their  cheers,  the  firing  of  cannons  and  the 
most  intense  enthusiasm  Joseph  marched  into  the  city.  So 
great  was  the  eagerness  to  see  him  and  get  close  to  him  that  it 
required  a  number  of  men  to  keep  the  streets  open  for  the 
procession  to  pass.  Joseph's  mother  was  at  his  house  awaiting 
his  an-ival,  and  tears  of  joy  rolled  down  her  aged  cheeks  as  she 
beheld  and  embraced  her  beloved  son,  and  welcomed  him  once 
more  in  safety  fi'om  the  hands  of  his  enemies. 


46  THE  :MARTyRS. 

Joseph  madc.liis  captors  his  guests.  Many  of  his  friends 
were  seated  at  his  table,  at  the  head  of  which  were  placed  Rey- 
nolds and  Wilson,  who  were  served  by  his  wife,  whom  they 
had  cruelly  refused  to  allow  Joseph  to  see  when  they  arrested 
him.  This  was  returning  good  for  evil^"heaping  coals  of  fire 
on  their  heads"— and  had  the  effect,  no  doubt,  of  presenting 
a  mirror  before  them  in  which  they  could  see  reflected  their 
own  little  meanness.  While  thus  partaking  of  the  hospitali- 
ties of  Joseph's  table,  the  wiiter  heard  Wilson,  in  an  under- 
tone, remark  to  Reynolds:  "I  feel  like  we  have  got  into  the 
rong  pew. ' ' 

A  full  hearing  was  had,  July  1st,  before  the  Municipal  Court, 
and  Joseph  was  discharged. 

Joseph's  lawyers  — Walker,  Patrick,  South  wick  and  Back- 
man— addressed  the  court  and  exhorted  the  Saints  "to  stand 
for  their  rights— stand  or  fall,  sink  or  swim,  live  or  die." 

Reynolds  and  Wilson  hastened  to  Carthage  and  began  to 
incite  the  people  to  mobocracy. 

"The  lawyers  mentioned  made  an  affidavit  to  the  effect 
that  no  violence  or  threats  had  been  made  use  of  towards  Rey- 
nolds and  Wilson  either  on  the  journey  to  or  after  their  arrival 
at  Nauvoo,  and  that  they  came  to  Nauvoo  voluntarily  and  were 
in  no  danger  of  violence,  etc.  This  affidavit  was  drawn  up  to 
contradict  the  lies  which  Reynolds  and  Wilson  had  told  to 
excite  prejudice  against  Joseph  and  the  Saints  and  to  make  the 
public  believe  that  their  prisoner  had  been  taken  from  their 
custody  unftiirly,  by  threq^ts  of  violence.  In  fact,  scarcely  had 
this  affidavit  been  signed  when  word  came  to  Nauvoo  from 
Carthage  that  these  villainous  men  were  stirring  up  the  people 
U)  mobocracy,  and  were  about  to  send  a  petition  to  Governor 
Ford  for  a  posse  to  retake  Joseph.  Reynolds  and  Wilson  had 
filed  their  affidavits  that  Col.  Markham  had,  with  armed  force, 
taken  Joseph  out  of  their  hands.  The  citizens  of  Nauvoo 
immediately  made  out  a  petition  to  the  Governor,  praying  him 
not  to  issue  any  more  writs  against  Joseph;  also  a  remonstrance 
against  the  Carthage  ])roceedings.  A  transcript  of  the  trial 
before  the^  Municipal  Court,  and  various  other  documents 
thrownig  light  upon  Joseph's  case,  were  delivered  to  his  law- 
yers, with  instructions  to  see  Governor  Ford  immediately. ' ' 

"Reynolds,  when  he  was  foiled  in  his  scheme  to  carry  Joseph 
into  Missouri,  presented  a  petition  to  Governor  Ford  for  a 
detachment  of  militia  to  be  detailed  to  assist  him  in  retaking 
Joseph.     Ford,  in  the  meantime,  however,  had  received  the 


REYNOLDS     DEMAND  REFUSED.  4< 

remonstrance  and  affidavits  of  the  people  of  Naiivoo  and 
Joseph's  lawyers,  which  were  all  adverse  to  Reynolds'  re((uest. 
The  lawyers  were  influential  men,  and  Walker  was  a  member 
of  the  Whig  party — Ford,  himself,  was  a  Democrat — and  if  he 
did  not  act  with  some  degree  of  fairness,  they  might  expose 
him,  and  damage  him,  politically.  He  did  not  dare,  there- 
fore, to  grant  Reynolds'  petition  without  further  investigation. 
He  sent  a  messenger — a  Mr.  Braman — to  Nauvoo,  for  a  copy 
of  all  the  testimony  that  was  given  in  the  case  before  the  Muni- 
cipal Court  and  affidavits  concerning  the  expulsion  of  the  Saints 
from  Missouri.  Upon  his  report  the  Cxovernor  decided  to  take 
no  action  in  response  to  Reynolds'  demand. ' ' 

Governor  Ford's  refusal  to  grant  Reynolds'  demand  in  the 
matter  of  calling  out  a  detachment  of  militia  to  assist  in  retak- 
ing Joseph,  was  used  by  the  Whig  party  as  political  capital, 
in  the  campaign  then  in  progress  for  members  of  Congress,  and 
those  with  mobocratic  proclivities,  in  both  parties,  were  much 
disconcerted  and  incensed. 

The  mobocrats  from  Missouri,  especially  Reynolds,  felt 
mortified  at  being  so  signally  defeated  in  the  scheme  to 
carry  Joseph  back  to  Missouri  as  a  prisoner.  Considerable 
censure,  from  that  quarter,  was  attached  to  Ford's  refusal  to 
comply  with  Reynolds'  demand  for  militia,  and  in  an  explan- 
atory letter  written  by  him  to  the  Governor  of  Missouri,  Ford 

"contended  that  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois  had 
been  fully  exercised  in  the  matter.  A  writ  was  issued  for 
Joseph's  apprehension;  he  was  apprehended,  and  duly  deliv- 
ered by  the  officer  of  the  State  of  Illinois  to  the  agent  of  the 
State  of  Missouri  appointed  to  receive  him.  No  process,  offi- 
cer, or  authority  of  Illinois  had  been  resisted  or  interfered  with. 
Governor  Ford  said  he  had  fully  executed  the  duty  which  the 
laws  imposed  upon  him,  and  there  had  been  no  resistance  either 
in  the  writ  issued  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  or  in  the  person  of 
the  officer  appointed  to  apprehend  him.  There  had  been  no 
warlike  array  in  the  proceedings  of  Joseph  and  his  fi-iends,  no 
exhibition  of  arms,  and  no  actual  force  of  an  illegal  character. 
Everything  had  been  done  on  his  part  which  the  law  warranted 
him  in  doing ;  and  he  ended  by  saying,  that  'in  no  one  aspect 
of  the  case  can  I  consider  the  present  an  extreme  emergency, 
warranting'a  call  for  the  militia,  according  to  the  provision  of 
the  law  of  the  State. '  ' ' 

This  utter  failure  to  get  Joseph  into  Missouri,  also  greatly 
exasperated  the  mobbers  of  Hancock  and  adjacent  Counties, 


48  THE  MARTYRS. 

and  a  meeting  was  held  at  Carthage,  the  iDth  of  August,  1833, 
and  a  committee  of  six  appointed  to  draft  resohitions  which 
were  presented  to  an  adjourned  meeting  held  on  the  6th  of 
September. 


CHAPTER  V. 

REVIEW  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH'S  CHARACTER— A  CANDIDATE  FOR 
THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  U.  S. — "EXPOSITOR"  ISSUED — 
DECLARED  A  NUISANCE — ABATED  BY  ORDER  OF  CITY  COUN- 
CIL— EFFORTS  TO  TAKE  JOSEPH  SUlTll  TO  CARTHAGE  FOR 
TRIAL  ON  CHARGE  OF  RIOT — HIS  OBJECTIONS  TO  GOING 
THERE — IMPRESSION  THAT  HE  AVOULD  BE  MURDERED^ 
THE   GOVERNOR  INSISTS  UPON  IT— JOSEPH   SUBMITS. 

IN  the  preceding  chapters  reference  has  been  made  to  some 
of  the  more  noted  and  prominent  occurrences  which  have 
marked  the  career  of  the  remarkable  man  whose  memory  is, 
to-day,  cherished  by  thousands  of  devoted  followers  of  the 
doctrines  he  enunciated. 

As  has  been  seen,  in  every  position  he  occupied  before  his 
enemies,  his  attitudes  and  words  were  most  fearlessly  assumed. 
As  his  stature  was  erect  and  commanding,  so  were  his  language 
and  doctrines  bold  and  dignified.  His  words  were  vigorous 
in  rebuke,  when  addressed  to  the  wicked  rabble,  who  quailed 
under  their  potency.  But  into  the  hearts  of  the  meek  and 
humble  they  fell  with  gentleness,  as  night-dews  are  distilled 
among  the  blooming  flowers,  to  refresh  and  render  them  still 
more  beautiful  as  the  effulgent  morning  darts  thither  the  kisses 
of  its  earliest  sunbeams. 

With  a  strong  and  manly  hand  he  grappled  with  the  oppres- 
sor and  tore  away  the  subtlety  of  his  covering.  To  the  dema- 
gogue he  presented  the  mirror  which  reflected  his  deformity, 
that  he  might  behold  himself  in  his  true  light.  The  politician 
was,  by  him,  pointed  to  a  higher  plane  of  constitutional  attain- 
ments than  was  before  considered  in  his  category. 


PROOFS  OF  Joseph's  divine  mission.  49 

Priests  stood  as  dumb  mutes  before  him,  or,  for  want  of 
argument,  incited  the  populace  to  violence.  That  the  Holy 
Spirit  does  not  permeate  the  dogmas  and  forms  of  religion 
which  the  sectarian  creeds  inculcate,  is  rendered  plain  by  com- 
parison with  the  pure  gospel  which  God  commanded  Joseph 
Smith  to  proclaim. 

The  proofs  of  his  sincerity  are  most  convincing.  They  are 
portrayed  in  the  inclinations  of  his  boyhood  to  seek  for  light 
from  the  divine  source  whence  it  emanates  in  purity;  and 
later  still  in  the  fortitude  with  which  he  withstood  priestcraft 
when  the  truths  of  the  gospel  had  made  their  inceptive  impress 
upon  his  young  heart.  They  may  be  traced  in  the  earnestness 
with  which  he  pushed  forward  his  great  mission  to  man.  The}^ 
are  discerned  in  the  evident  unselfishness  associated  with  his 
every  movement.  They  shine  forth  from  prisons  and  are  her- 
alded in  the  rattling  chains  that  deprived  him  of  liberty.  The 
same  quality  is  attested  b}'  the  numerous  acts  of  self-denial  that 
mark  his  pathway  through  life,  as  well  as  by  the  invincibilit}^ 
of  his  doctrines. 

Is  it  possible  for  him  to  have  given  any  higher  evidence  that 
his  mission  was  divinely  inspired  ?  Reader,  follow  him  a  little 
farther  to  the  culmination — where  he  towers  to  the  zenith  of 
his  greatness — and  it  will  be  plain  that  mortal  man  could  not 
do  more.  * 

The  Savior  said,  "Grreater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that 
a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends. ' '  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
Smith  gave  this  proof  of  their  love. 

All  that  remains  to  be  enacted  by  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet, 
while  in  the  flesh,  will  speedily  be  consummated.  Feeble  indeed 
is  the  writer's  pen  to  do  justice  to  the  fleeting  moments  of  time 
which  remain.  Therein  will  the  unflinching  integrity  of  the 
man  be  brought  to  a  test.  Dearer  than  worldly  fame  and  its 
heights  of  power,  were  the  inspired  convictions  of  his  soul,  and 
soon  he  lays  them  all  upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice  to  be  cemented 
with  his  blood. 

Let  us  enquire  into  a  few  more  of  the  immediate  causes  which 
led  to  this  tragic  issue. 

Aside  from  the  excitements  and  troubles  that  existed  in  Han- 
cock County,  there  were  powerful  influences  and  jealousies 

2* 


50  THE  MARTYRS. 

in  the  circle  of  some  of  the  leading  men  at  the  capital  of  the 
nation.  On  what  grounds?  They  grew,  in  part,  out  of  the 
presidential  canvass  that  was  in  progress  during  the  early  part 
of  the  summer  of  1844.  Henry  Clay,  Martin  Van  Buren  and 
John  C.  Calhoun,  were  before  the  country  as  candidates  for  the 
high  office  of  chief  executive.  For  important  reasons,  neither 
of  these  distinguished  gentlemen  were  acceptable  to  the  Latter- 
day  Saints. 

Van  Buren  had  declared  that  the  grievances  of  our  people 
were  well  founded,  but  said  he  could  do  nothing  for  us. 

Calhoun  declared  the  power  of  the  federal  government  to  be 
so  "limited"  and  "specific"  that  the  wholesale  robberies  and 
murders  of  mobocrats  could  not  be  brought  within  the  scope  of 
its  jurisdiction. 

When  Joseph  addressed  a  letter  of  enquiry  to  Henry  Clay, 
asking:  "What  will  be  your  rule  of  action  relative  to  us  as  a 
people,  should  fortune  favor  your  ascension  to  the  chief  magis- 
tracy ?"  that  gentleman's  position  was  found  to  be  entirely  non- 
committal. His  political  principles  were  not  such  as  Joseph 
and  his  friends  could  endorse. 

There  was  not  a  man  brought  forward  in  that  campaign  that 
could  be  acceptable  to  the  Saints,  for  not  one  of  them  had  the 
courage  or  honest}^  to  saj^  to  them :  There  is  power  in  the 
American  Congress;  there  is  vitality  in  the  country's  laws; 
there  is  patriotism  in  the  people ;  the  federal  government  has 
jurisdiction  to  see  that  the  Constitution  is  preserved  inviolate, 
and  the  wrongs  of  which  you  complain  shall  be  investigated. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  name  of  Joseph  Smith  was 
placed  in  the  Times  and  Seasom  as  a  candidate  for  the  office  of 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  that  of  Sidney  Rigdon  for 
Vice  l^resident. 

This  was  considered  a  bold  step,  but  the  political  exigencies 
of  the  times  seemed  to  require  it.  He  was  a  native  born  citi- 
zen of  "the  home  of  the  free."  His  ancestors  were  among  the 
early  patriots,  whose  valor  achieved  the  American  Indepen- 
dence. The  Constitution  made  him  eligible  for  that  posi- 
tion, and  his  principles  and  aims  were  pre-eminently  superior 
to  those  of  his  opponents,  as  was  made  plain  in  his  pub- 
lished "Powers  and  Policy  of  the  Government." 


JEALOUSY  OF  JOSEPH  S  ENEMIES.  51 

His  being  a  candidate  was  especially  distasteful  to  Van  Buren 
and  Benton ;  so  much  so,  that  there  were  good  grounds  for  the 
belief  that  an  understanding  was  had  between  thein  and  the 
Governors  of  Missouri  and  Illinois,  and  from  them  down  through 
some  of  the  State  and  County  officers,  that  Joseph  was  getting 
too  much  power  and  influence,  and  his  career  must  come  to  a 
close  before  the  end  of  the  campaign.  The  truth  of  this  cannot 
be  positively  vouched  for  by  the  writer,  but  it  is  believed.  At 
all  events,  something  seemed  to  change  the  pacific  policy  of 
Governor  Ford,  which  is  easily  discerned  by  any  who  read  his 
letters  and  public  documents  of  those  times.  It  was  said 
that  Benton  promised  the  vote  of  Missouri  to  Van  Buren  upon 
condition  that  he  would  wipe  out  the  "Mormons,"  if  elected. 

Joseph's  enemies  in  Nauvoo  were  also  filled  with  enmity  and 
jealousy  towards  him  because  of  this  candidateship.  They 
began  to  see  that  his  popularity  was  far  greater,  in  diiferent 
parts  of  the  States,  than  they  had  anticipated.  They  feared  he 
might  be  successful  at  some  subsequent  time,  if  not  then,  and 
they  could  not  bear  the  thoughts  that  there  should  be  any  prob- 
ability of  his  advancement  to  that  or  any  other  position  of  dis- 
tinction in  the  Government.  They  dreaded  his  noble  princi- 
ples and  independence  of  character,  knowing  that  wherever  he 
might  hold  power,  their  own  chances  for  preferment  would  be 
hopeless,  at  least  while  they  continued  to  be  corrupt. 

Of  course,  they  affiliated  with  every  element  opposed  to  Joseph, 
and,  being  rank  apostates,  resident  there,  they  were  the  better 
enabled  to  give  direction  to  the  plans  concocted  against  him  — 
thus  causing  the  envenomed  arrows  of  the  combined  enemy  to 
be  aimed  with  deadly  purj^ose. 

In  addition  to  their  viciousness  of  character,  in  many  things 
they  calulated  with  some  shrewdness  and  planned  to  make  a 
show  of  consistency  in  their  movements.  They  knew  the  ele- 
ment that  composed  the  society  of  Hancock.  They  understood 
the  prestige  conceded  to  the  press  by  the  American  public. 
They  knew  also  Joseph's  character,  and  that  establishing  a 
libelous  and  venal  newspaper  in  Nauvoo  would  not  be 
agreeable  to  him.  Hence  a  paper  of  that  class  was  started, 
with  the  understanding  that  if  Joseph  and  the  local  author- 
ities opposed  its  continuance,  their  opposition  might  be  used 


52  THE  MARTYRS. 

as  a  vety  good  pretext  for  the  commencement  of  active  move- 
ments  against  Joseph's  election  as  well  as  his  hfe. 

They  issued  their  prosi)ect us  about  the  1  ( )th  of  May.  Among 
the  things  they  proposed  to  advocate  were : 

"The  unconditional  repeal  of  the  city  charter  of  Nauvoo, 
to  restrain  and  correct  the  abuses  of  the  Vnit  power,  to  ward 
ofi'  the  rod  which  is  held  over  the  devoted  heads  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Nauvoo  and  the  surrounding  country,  to  advocate 
unmitigated  disobedience  to  political  revelation,  to 
advocate  and  exercise  the  freedom  of  speech  in  Nauvoo,  inde- 
pendent of  the  ordinance  abridging  the  same — to  give  toleration 
to  ever}'  man's  religious  sentiments  and  sustain  all  in  worship- 
ing their  G-od  according  to  the  monitions  of  their  consciences, 
as  guaranteed  by  the  Constitution  of  our  country,  and  to 
oppose,  with  uncompromising  hostility  any  union  of  church 
and  state  or  any  preliminary  steps  tending  to  the  same," 
etc. 

The  Fxpositor  was  issued  on  June  7th.  Its  columns  teemed 
with  vituperative  abuse  of  Joseph  and  his  friends.  That  it 
was  the  fixed  purpose  of  its  managers  to  continue  that  defama- 
tory course,  was  evident  from  the  matter  contained  in  its 
columns  and  in  their  private  admissions.  They  aimed  to 
attack  the  characters  of  many  respectable  citizens  of  both 
sexes.  The  tone  of  the  sheet  was  vulgar,  scurrilous,  and 
untruthful.     The  people  felt  themselves  outraged. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  the  city  council  investigated  the  mat- 
ter thoroughly  and  declared  the  Expositor  a  nuisance,  and, 
with  united  vote,  passed  the  following : 

Bill  for  Removing  of  the  Press  of  the  ''Kauvoo 
Expositor. ' 

"Resolved  by  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  that 
the  printing  office  from  whence  issues  the  Nmicoo  Expositor  is 
a  public  nuisance ;  and  also  of  said  Nauvoo  Expositors  which 
may  be  or  exist  in  said  establishment;  and  the  mayor  is 
insti-ucted  to  cause  said  establishment  and  papers  to  be  removed 
without  delay,  in  such  manner  as  he  shall  direct. 

"Passed  June  10th,  1844.        Geo.  W.  Haiuus, 
"W.  Richards,  Recorder.  President i)?*o  tern.'' 

"Higbee  immediately  went  to  Carthage  and  made  a  complaint 
before  the  justice  of  the  peace,  swearing  to  an  affidavit  that 
Joseph  and  seventeen  other  brethren  had  committed  a  riot, 
alleging  that,  with  force  and  violence,  they  had  broken  into 


AN  ATTEMPT  TO  TAKE  JOSEPH  TO  CARTHAGE.  53 

tte  Naiivoo  Expodtor  printing  office  and  unlawf'ulh'  burned 
and  destroyed  the  printing  press,  type  and  other  property  of 
the  same.  The  name  of  the  justice  before  whom  this  complaint 
was  made,  was  Thomas  Morrison,  and  he  sent  a  constable 
with  a  writ  to  Nauvoo,  to  arrest  Joseph.  The  writ  stated  that 
the  officer  was  to  bring  the  persons  charged  in  it  'before  me 
(Morrison)  or  some  other,  justice  of  the  peace,  to  answer  .the 
premises,  and  further  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  law. ' 

"When  he  had  finished  reading  the  writ,  Joseph  referred  the 
officer  who  bore  it,  to  that  clause,  and  said:  'We  are  ready  to 
go  to  trial  before  Esquire  Johnson  or  any  justice  in  Nauvoo.' 
At  this,  the  constable  was  very  angry,  and  he  swore  he  would 
carry  them  to  Carthage  before  Morrison,  who  had  issued  the 
writ.  Jose]3h  asked  him  if  he  intended  to  break  the  law,  and 
called  upon  all  present  to  witness  that  he  then  offered  himself 
to  go  immediately  before  the  nearest  -justice  of  the  peace. 
His  brother  Hyrum  offered  to  do  the  same.  Joseph  felt  so 
indignant  at  the  officer's  abuse,  that  he  was  determined  to 
take  out  a  habeas  corpus^  and  petitioned  the  municipal  court 
of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  to  grant  him  the  benefit  of  that  writ, 
and,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  he  appeared  before 
that  court,  and  the  case  was  examined.  It  was  'decided  by 
the  court  that  Joseph  Smith  had  acted  under  proper  authority 
in  destroying  the  establishment  of  the  Nauvoo  Expositor,  on 
the  10th  inst.  ;  that  his  orders  were  executed  in  an  orderl3^  and 
judicious  manner,  without  noise  or  tumult;  that  this  was  a 
malicious  prosecution  on  the  part  of  F.  M.  Higbee ;  and  that 
said  Higbee  pay  costs  of  suit,  and  that  Joseph  Smith  be 
honorably  discharged  from  the  accusations  of  the  writ,  and  go 
hence  without  delay. ' 

"The  other  brethren  were  arrested  the  next  day,  and  they 
also  petitioned  for  and  obtained  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and 
were  tried  before  the  municipal  court  on  that  day ;  and,  after 
witnesses  had  been  examined  as  in  the  case  of  Joseph,  they 
were  all  honorably  discharged  from  the  accusations  and  arrests. 
The  court  decided  that  Higbee  pay  the  costs  of  the  suits. ' ' 

Joseph's  enemies  made  all  the  capital  they  could  in  conse- 
quence of  this,  by  informing  Grovernor  Ford  that  he  had 
resisted  the  writ  from  the  circuit  court,  etc. 

Great  excitement  spread  through  Hancock  and  adjacent 
Counties.  Inflammatory  speeches  were  made  by  designing 
politicans  and  lawyers.  The  "Mormons,"  they  said,  had  made 
war  upon  the  liberty  of  the  press,  and  their  leaders  ought  to  be 
killed  and  the  others  driven  from  the  country. 


54  THE  MARTYRS. 

The  press  and  office  belonging  to  the  Saints  in  Jackson 
County  was  destroyed  by  a  mob,  and  the  mobocrats  of 
Missouri  applauded  the  occurrence  and  the  governor  of  that 
State  sanctioned  it.  And  the  mobocrats  of  Illinois,  at  the 
time  of  these  troubles,  sanctioned  it  also,  by  their  deeds,  and 
said  it  was  ail  right  because  that  was  a  "Morinon"  press.  At 
the  same  time  they  inflamed  the  public  mind  to  the  utmost  of 
their  ability,  because  a  legally  constituted  body  had  the  manli- 
ness to  abate,  as  a  nuisance,  a  press,  the  avowed  object  of 
which  was  to  take  from  the  citizens  of  a  city  duly  incorporated, 
their  chartered  rights. 

It  has  been  said  that  "the  press  is  the  lever  that 
moves  the  world."  Also,  that  "the  pen  is  mightier  than 
the  sword."  Whether  these  assertions  be  fully  true  or 
otherwise,  every  person  of  intelligence  must  acknowledge  that 
they  are  mighty  agents  whether  employed  either  "for  weal  or 
for  woe. ' '  In  the  American  society,  by  the  popular  will,  the 
career  of  the  press  and  the  pen,  as  well  as  speech,  pursue  their 
various  missions  with  but  little  restriction.  This  is  right  and 
quite  proper  when  the  causes  in  which  they  are  employed  are 
just,  honest,  lawful  and  patriotic.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
this  is  not  always  the  case.  They  often  descend  from  their 
legitimate  elevations  to  the  slums  of  vice  and  defamation,  and, 
in  suits  brought  for  libel,  damages  are  sometimes  awarded  by 
the  courts.  But  notwithstanding  there  are  provisions  for 
legal  redress,  the  press  and  the  pen  too  often  combine  their 
influence  for  evil,  and  the  honest  citizen  as  well  as  States  and 
nations  are  abridged  in  the  exercise  of  their  just  rights. 

The  case  before  us  now,  is  one  where  the  press  was  venal 
and  corrupt.  Its  owners  and  writers  were  wicked  and  vindic- 
tive. They  stooped  from  the  height  where  they  should  have 
watched  the  approach  of  the  invading  foe,  and  hurled  their 
envenomed  darts  at  their  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens,  for 
whom  they  had  for  years  made  protestations  of  friendship,  and 
with  whom  they  had  even  communed  at  the  sacramental  table. 
And  because  those  neighbors,  whose  homes  and  peace  were 
thus  invaded,  would  not  tamely  brook  their  abuse,  they  sought 
to  inflame  the  popular  mind  with  motives  of  violence,  that 
their  homes  might  be  committed  to  the  flames,  their  liberties 


EFFORTS  MADE  TO  MOB  THE   SAINTS.  55 

taken  from  them  and  their  Uves  be  given  to  the   assassin. 
This  they  accomplished. 

"This  paper  was  published  on  the  Tth  of  June ;  twenty 
days  afterwards,  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  cruelly  murdered  m 
Carthaire  Jail  by  a  mob.  It  was  through  the  schemes  of  these 
wickedVen  who  made  such  pious  pretentions,  that  the  Prophet 
Joseph  and  his  brother  Hyrum  were  brought  there.^ and  those 
apostates  were  accessory  to  their  murder.  Within  three  weeks 
after  they  wrote  these  plausible  words,  their  garments  were 
dripping  with  the  blood  of  innocence."' 

"Every  effort  was  made  by  the  enemies  of  the  Saints,  after 
the  Expositor  was  declared^  a  nuisance,  to  fan  the  flames 
of  persecution  and  to  form  combinations  to  drive  and  exter- 
minate them.  In  some  parts,  they  threatend  to  drive  or  kill 
every  Latter-day  Saint  who  did  not  deny  the  faith  and  cease  to 
believe  that  Joseph  was  a  prophet  of  God.  They  also  threatened 
to  use  violence  to  those  who  were  not  Latter-day  Saints,  if  they 
did  not  take  up  arms  to  help  them  drive  the  Church  out  of  the 
countrv.  Those  whom  they  could  not  persuade  to  join  them  in 
their  schemes,  thev  tried  to  fi-ighten  by  their  threats.  They 
told  men  of  this  class  that  they  must  join  them,  or  leave  the 
countrv.  or  give  their  arms  to  them.  One  of  the  leading  spirits 
of  this  work  of  persecution  was  one  Levi  Williams,  a  colonel  of 
militia,  and  a  Baptist  preacher.  With  all  his  pretentions  to  reli- 
gion, he  was  a  great  villain.  Robbery,  house-burning,  murder, 
and  every  other  act  of  violence,  he  thought  perfectly  right,  so 
long  as  the  Latter-day  Saints  were  the  victims.  To  accomphsh 
the  destruction  of  the  Saints,  he  was  willing  to  adopt  any  meas- 
ure, however  wicked  or  violent.  There  were  many  others  who 
were  like  him.  They  acted  upon  the  idea  that  it  was  no  disgrace 
to  shoot  a  'Mormon;'  that  he  had  no  rights  which  they  should 
respect.  Where  they  had  the  power,  they  were  very  violent  and 
abusive  ;  but  they  were  always  careful  to  have  the  largest  num- 
ber on  their  side  when  they  made  an  attack  on  any  person  or 
settlement.  They  visited  individuals  and  those  who  lived  in  small 
settlements,  because  they  were  not  afraid  of  meeting  equal  num- 
bers to  resist  them.  As  soon  as  the  help  which  they  expected 
from  Missouri  should  arrive,  they  said  they  should  march  against 
Joseph  and  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  capture  him  and  destroy  the  city. 
They  expected  about  fifteen  hundred  or  two  thousand  men  from 
Missouri  to  help  them. 

"Joseph  was  well  informed  respecting  the  movements  of  the 
mob,  and  he  counseled  the  brethren  to  keep  cool  and  prepare 
their  arms  for  the  defense  of  the  city.  He  had  guards  posted 
on  all  the  roads  leading  out  of  the  city,  and,  within  the  city,  he 
had  other  guards  stationed  in  the  streets  and  on  the  river  bank. 
This  he  did  in  his  capacity  as  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Nauvoo 


56    •  THE  :nl\rtyrs. 

Legion.  He  also  issued  orders  to  have  all  the  powder  and  lead 
in  the  city  secured,  and  that  all  the  arms  should  be  brought  into 
use,  and  those  \Yliich  were  not  used  by  their  owners  be  put  into 
the  hands  of  those  Avho  could  use  them.  Under  the  circum- 
stances which  then  existed,  these  preparations  were  necessary, 
for  the  mob  were  threatening  to  march  upon  the  city,  and  they 
could  only  be  kept  from  doing  so  by  the  knowledge  that  the 
Saints  were  prepared  to  give  them  a  warm  reception.  Joseph, 
in  company  with  several  officers  of  the  Legion,  visited  the  prairie 
east  of  Nauvoo  and  arranged  his  plans  for  the  defense  of  the 
city,  and  selected  the  most  suitable  points  at  which  to  meet  the 
mob.  He  also  made  arrangements  to  secure  provisions  for  the 
city,  giving  his  agent  instructions  to  pledge  his  farms  for  that 
purpose.  On  the  18th  of  June,  he  proclaimed  the  city  of 
Nauvoo  under  martial  law,  and  issued  the  following  proc- 
lamation : 

"To  the  Marshal  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo, — 

From  the  newspapers  around  us,  and  the  current  reports  as 
brought  in  from  the  surrounding  country,  I  have  good  reason  to 
fear  that  a  mob  is  organizing  to  come  upon  this  city,  and  plunder 
and  destroy  said  city,  as  well  as  murder  the  citizens;  and  by- 
virtue  of  the  authority  vested  in  me  as  Mayor,  and  to  preserve  the 
city  and  lives  of  the  citizens,  I  do  hereby  declare  the  said  city, 
within  the  limits  of  its  corporation,  under  martial  law.  The 
officers,  therefore,  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  the  police,  as  well  as 
all  other-,  will  strictly  see  that  no  persons  or  property  pass  in  or 
out  of  the  city  without  due  orders. 

Joseph  Smith,  Mayor." 

"Two  days  previous  to  the  proclamation  of  martial  law,  a 
public  meeting  was  held  at  which  a  number  of  delegates  were 
appointed  to  go  to  the  different  precincts  throughout  the  County 
to  lay  a  true  statement  of  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Nauuoo 
before  the  people,  and  to  correct  the  many  false  reports  which 
had  been  put  in  circulation.  Joseph,  on  the  same  day,  iji  his 
capacity  as  Mayor,  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which  he  explained, 
at  length,  the  causes  which  had  led  to  the  Expositor  being 
declared  a  nuisance  and  destroyed.  He  also  wrote  to  Governor 
Ford  and  sent  his  letter  by  the  hands  of  Edward  Hunter,  Philip 
B.  Lewis  and  John  Bills  as  messengers.  In  this  letter,  he 
expressed  his  desire  that  the  (xovernor  would  come  to  Nauvoo 
in  person,  with  his  staff,  and  investigate  the  whole  difficulty 
without  delay.  This  lie  thought  would  be  the  best  method  of 
restoring  peace  to  the  country.  With  the  letter,  he  sent  an 
affidavit  concerning  the  intentions  of  the  mob. 

"All  this  evidence  had.  however,  but  little  weight  with  Governor 
Ford.  He  lacked  the  firmness,  decision  of  character  and  the 
sense  of  justice  necessary  to  maintain  order  and  to  enforce  the 
right.     He  became  the  tool  of  the  mob,  and  they  managed  him, 


JOSEPirS    I.KITKR  TO   fiOVERNOR   FORD.  5/ 

witliuut  iiiibrming  liim  of  all  their  i)laiis,  to  suit  their  purposes. 
On  the  21st  of  June,  he  came  to  Carthage,  one  of  the  places 
where  the  mob  had  full  sway,  and  sent  an  express  into  Nauvoo 
to  the  mayor  and  city  council,  requesting  them  to  send  out  to 
him  one  or  more  well-informed,  discreet  persons,  who  could  lay 
before  him  the  city  councif  s  version  of  the  difhculty.  Elders  John 
Taylor,  WillardllichardsandDr.  John  M.  Bernhisel  were  selected 
to  go.  J>rothers  Taylor- and  Bernhisel  did  go,  taking  with  them 
a  number  of  aiii davits,  which  set  forth  in  great  plainness  the 
acts  of  the  mob,  and  Brother  Richards  remained  to  prepare 
additional  documents.  The  next  day,  these  documents  were 
sent  by  the  hand  of  Lucien  Woodworth,  who  went  in  the  stead 
of  Dr.  Richards.  Joseph  wrote  another  long  letter  to  Governor 
Ford,  and  sent  by  him,  in  which  he  made  many  explanations, 
and  repeated  his  rec^uest  for  the  governor  to  come  to  Nauvoo. 
If  he  would  come  there  the  mayor  and  city  council  could  lay  the 
whole  matter  before  him  in  its  true  colors  and  sustain  their  state- 
ments by  an  abundance  of  testimony.  But  if  they  had  to  go 
to  Carthage  to  do  this,  they  would  expose  themselves  to  the 
power  of  a  mob,  filled  with  fury  and  a  desire  to  shed  blood,  a 
part  of  whom  had  already  fired  several  times  upon  the  Saints." 

Joseph  had  been  tried  twice  for  abating  the  Expositor,  once 
by  the  Municipal  Court  where  the  case  had  been  brought  on 
a  writ  of  habeas  corpus^  and,  secondly,  before  Daniel  H. 
Wells,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  the  letter  last  referred  to, 
written  by  Joseph  to  the  Governor  at  Carthage,  he  said : 

"How  it  could  be  possible  for  them  to  be  tried  constitu- 
tionally by  the  same  magistrate  who  first  issued  the  writ,  they 
could  not  see ;  for  the  Constitution  expressly  says  no  man  shall 
twice  be  put  in  jeopardy  of  life  and  limb  for  the  same  offense. 
But,  notwithstanding  this,  he  said,  they  would  not  hesitate  to 
stand  another  trial,  according  to  his  wish,  were  it  not  that  they 
were  confident  their  lives  would  be  in  danger.  He  told  Ford  he 
had  promised  them  protection ;  but,  'at  the  same  time, '  said 
he,  'you  have  expressed  fears  that  you  could  not  control  the 
mob,  in  which  case  we  are  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  merciless. ' 
He  told  him  further  that  writs  were  issued  against  them  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  so  that  the  mob  might  have  the 
power  to  drag  them  from  place  to  place  and  from  court  to  court, 
till  some  blood-thirsty  villain  could  find  an  opportunity  to  shoot 
them.  Joseph  closed  his  letter  by  saying  that  if  anything  wrong 
had  been  done  on  the  part  of  himself  and  others  (yet  he  knew 
of  nothing, )  they  would  make  all  things  right  if  the  Government 
would  give  them  the  opportunity.  And  he  entreated  the  Gover- 
nor to  disperse  the  mob,  and  secure  to  himself  and  friends  their 
constitutional  privileges,  that  their  lives  might  not  be  endangered 
when  they  were  on  trial. 

3 


58  THE  MARTYRS. 

"But  Governor  Ford  was  deaf  to  all  reason.  He  was  surrounded 
by  apostates  and  the  worst  enemies  of  tlie  Saints.  On  his  amval 
at  Carthage,  he  had  ordered  the  entire  mob  into  service.  He 
heard  their  imprecations  and  their  threats,  and  saw  their  violence 
and  outrageous  conduct ;  but  instead  of  being  disgusted  with 
them,  they  suited  him.  He  adopted,  as  the  truth,  every  lie  and 
misrepresentation  that  the  mob  circulated.  The  delegates, 
whom  he  wished  the  Mayor  and  City  Council  of  Nauvoo  to  send 
to  him,  he  treated  with  great  rudeness.  When  they  attempted 
to  make  the  necessary  statements  and  explanations,  he  suffered 
them  to  be  interrupted  and  insulted  by  the  vile  crew  who  were 
his  companions.  _  Even  the  communications  which  they  brought 
were  read  to  him  in  the  presence  of  these  villains,  who  frequently 
interrupted  the  reading  by  their  cursing ! " 

Governor  Ford  had  taken  his  position  at  Carthage,  and 
could  not  be  induced  by  all  of  Joseph's  entreaties  to  come  to 
Nauvoo  and  investigate  for  himself,  where  Joseph's  acts  could 
be  fairly  investigated.  He  seemed  to  be  in  the  plot  of  the 
mob  to  get  Joseph  dragged  to  Carthage  at  all  hazards.  Joseph 
no  doubt  felt  and  saw  that  the  times  were  momentous  and 
portended  evil  towards  him.  He  knew  it  was  his  life  they 
sought.  He  could  not  with  any  confidence  place  himself  in 
their  hands.  He  wantod  his  most  reliable  friends  with  him, 
and  wrote  letters  to  the  Twelve,  then  on  missions,  to  return 
home.  "He  was  anxious  to  get  Hyrum,  his  brother,  out  of 
the  way.  Said  he:  'I  wish  I  could  get  HjTum  out  of  the 
way,  so  that  he  may  live  to  avenge  my  blood ;  and  I  will  stay 
with  you  and  see  it  out. '  But  Hyrum  could  not  be  moved. 
If  Joseph  suffered  and  died,  he  was  determined  to  suffer  and 
die  with  him.  Said  he  to  the  Prophet :  'Joseph,  I  cannot  leave 
you.'" 

'  'Joseph  remarked  to  Brother  Stephen  Markham  that,  if  he 
and  Hyrum  were  ever  taken  again,  they  would  be  massacred,  or 
he  was  not  a  prophet  of  God.  He  added :  'I  want  Hyrum  to 
live  to  avenge  my  blood,  but  he  is  determiiied  not  to  leave 
me.'" 

The  governor  seemed  determined  that  Jose]:)h  and  Hyrum 
and  the  other  brethren  charged  with  riot  in  the  matter  of  the 
Expositor  should  go  to  Cartljage  for  trial,  notwithstanding 
they  had  been  tAvice  tried  already  and  acquitted.  He  sent  word 
that  Joseph  and  Hyrum  should  be  protected  by  the  militia  of 


JOSEPH  smith's  last  SPEECH.  50 

tlie  State,  and,  on  this  assurance,  they  sent  word  to  the 
governor  that  they  would  come*  to  Carthage  and  submit  to 
another  trial. 


u 


CHAPTER    YI.     ' 

THE  prophet's  LAST  PUBLIC  SPEECH — START  FOR  CARTHAGE — 
REMARKS  ON  PASSINCx  THE  TEMPLE  AND  LEAVING  '  SQUIRE 
WELLS — ORDER  FROM  THE  GOVERNOR  TO  DELIVER  UP 
THE  STATE  ARMS — RETURN  TO  NAU\^00  TO  HAVE 
THE  OJIDER  COMPLIED  WITH — REACH  CARTHAGE  AT  MID- 
NIGHT— THE  GOVERNOR  PLEDGES  THE  FAITH  OF  THE 
STATE  FOR  THEIR  PROTECTION — THE  PRISONERS  EXHIB- 
ITED BEFORE  THE  TROOPS — JOSEPH'S  REMARKS  TO  OFFI- 
CERS WHO  VISITED   HIM. 

NDER  date  of  June  18,  1844,  Joseph  says  in  his  history: 
"About  2  p.  m. ,  the  Legion  was  drawn  up  in  the  street  close 
by  the  mansion.     I  stood  in  full  uniform  on  the  top  of  the  frame 
of  a  building. 

"Judge  Phelps  read  the  Warsmv  Signal  extra  of  the  ITih. 
wherein  all  the  'old  citizens'  were  called  upon  to  assist  the  mob 
in  exterminating  the  leaders  of  the  Saints  and  driving  away 
the  people. 

'  'I  addressed  the  Legion  for  about  one-and-a-half  hours. ' ' 

The  following  s.^aiopsis  of  this  address  was  compiled  by 
George  A.  Smith  from  the  verbal  reports  of  Joseph  Gr.  Hovey, 
William  G.  Sterrett,  Robert  Campbell,  and  many  others  who 
heard  the  Prophet  on  the  occasion  : 

"It  is  thought  by  some  that  our  enemies  would  be  satisfied 
with  my  destruction  ;  but  I  tell  you  that  as  soon  as  they  have 
shed  my  blood,  they  will  thirst  for  the  blood  of  every  man  in 
whose  heart  dwells  a  single  spark  of  the  spirit  of  the  fullness  of 
the  gospel.  The  opposition  of  these  men  is  moved  by  the  spirit 
of  the  adversary  ol  all  righteousness.  It  is  not  only  to  destroy 
me,  but  eveiy  man  and  woman  who  dares  believe  the  doctrines 
that  God  hath  inspired  me  to  teach  to  this  generation. 

"We  have  never  violated  the  laws  of  our  country.  We  have 
every  right  to  live  under  their  protection,  and  are  entitled  to  all 
the  privileges  guaranteed  by  our  State  and  national  Constitu- 


60  THE  MARTYRS. 

tions.  Wc  liave  turned  the  barren,  bleak  prairies  and  swamps 
of  this  State  into  beautiful  towns,  farms,  and  cities,  by  our 
industry ;  and  the  men  who  seek  our  destruction  and  cry  thief, 
treason^  riot,  etc. ,  are  those  who  themselves  violate  the  laws, 
steal  and  plunder  from  their  neighbors,  and  seek  to  destroy  the 
innocent,  heralding  forth  lies  to  screen  themselves  from  the 
just  punishment  of  their  crimes  by  bringing  destruction  upon 
this  innocent  people.  I  call  Grod,  angels,  itnd  all  men  to  wit- 
ness that  we  are  innocent  of  the  charges  which  are  heralded 
forth  through  the  public  prints  against  us  by  our  enemies ;  and 
while  they  assemble  together  in  unlawful  mobs  to  take  away 
our  rights  and  destroy  our  lives,  they  think  to  shield  them- 
selves under  the  refuge  of  lies  which  they  have  thus  wickedly 
fabricated. 

"We  have  forwarded  a  particular  account  of  all  our  doings 
to  the  Grovernor.  We  are  ready  to  obey  his  commands,  and 
we  expect  that  protection  at  his  hands  which  we  know  to  be 
our  just  due. 

"We  have  taken  the  counsel  of  Judge  Thomas,  and  have 
been  tried  before  a  civil  magistrate  on  the  charge  of  riot— not 
that  the  law  required  it,  but  because  the  Judge  advised  it  as 
a  precautionary  measure,  to  alla\-  all  possible  pretext  for  excite- 
ment. We  were  legally  acquitted  by  Esquire  Wells,  who  is  a 
good  judge  of  law.  Had  we  been  before^  the  Circuit,  the 
Supre'me,"or  any  other  court  of  law  in  this  State  or  nation,  we 
should  have  been  acquitted,  for  we  have  broken  no  law. 

"Constable  Bettisworth  comes  here  with  a  writ  requiring  us 
to  go  before  Mr.  Morrison,  'or  some  other  justice  of  the  peace 
of  the  county, '  to  answer  to  the  charge  of  riot.  We  acknowl- 
edged ourselves  his  prisoners,  and  were  ready  to  go  before  any 
magistrate  in  any  precinct  in  this  part  of  the  County,  or  any- 
where else  where  our  lives  could  be  protected  from_  the  mob 
who  have  published  the  resolutions  for  our  extermination  which 
you  have  just  heard  read.  This  is  a  privilege  the  law  guaran- 
tees to  us,  and  which  the  writ  itself  allows.  He  breaks  the 
law,  and  refuses  us  this  privilege,  declaring  that  we  shall  go 
before  jMorrison  in  Carthage,  and  no  one  else,  when  he  knew 
that  a  numerous  mob  was  collected  there  who  are  publicly 
pledged  to  destroy  our  lives. 

"It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  we  availed  ourselves 
of  the  legal  right  of  the  ancient,  high,  and  constitutional  priv- 
ilege of  the  writ  oniahcas  eoipu.s,  and  were  brought  before  the 
Municipal  Court  of  this  city,  and  discharged  from  the  illegal 
detention  under  which  we  were  held  by  Constable  Bettisworth. 
All  mob-men.  priests,  thieves,  and  bogus  makers,  apostates 
and  adulterers,  who  combined  to  destroy  this  peoi)le,  now  raise 
the  hue  and  cry  throughout  the  State  thai  we  resist  the  law, 
in  order  to  raise  a  pretext  for  calling  together  thousauds  more 


JOSEPH  SiMITH's   last  SPEECH.  61 

of  infuriated  mob-men  to  mnrder,  destro}^,  plunder  and  ravish 
the  innocent. 

"We  are  American  citizens.  We  live  upon  a  soil  for  the 
liberties  of  which  our  fathers  periled  their  lives  and  spilt  their 
blood  upon  the  battle-field.  Those  rights,  so  dearly  purchased, 
shall  not  be  disgracefully  trodden  under  foot  by  lawless  maraud- 
ers without  at  least  a  noble  effort  on  our  part  to  sustain  our 
liberties. 

Will  you  all  stand  by  me  to  the  death,  and  sustain,  "at  the 
peril  of  your  lives,  the  laws  of  our  country,  and  the  liberties 
and  privileges  which  our  fathers  have  transmitted  unto  us, 
sealed  with  their  sacred  blood  ?  ( 'Aye, '  shouted  thousands. ) 
He  then  said — 'It  is  well.  If  you  had  not  done  it,  I  would 
have  gone  out  there,  (pointing  to  the  west,)  and  would  have 
raised  up  a  mightier  people. ' 

"I  call  upon  all  men,  from  Maine  to  the  Eocky  Mountains, 
and  from  Mexico  to  British  America,  whose  hearts  thrill  with 
horror  to  behold  the  rights  of  freemen  trampled  under  foot,  to 
come  to  the  deliverance  of  this  people  from  the  cruel  hand  of 
oppression,  cruelty,  anarchy  and  misrule  to  which  they  have 
been  long  made  subject.  Come,  all  ye  lovers  of  liberty,  break 
the  oppressor's  rod,  loose  the  iron  grasp  of  mobocracv,  and 
bring  to  condign  punishment  all  those  v/ho  trample  under  foot 
the  principles  of  our  glorious  Constitution  and  the  people's 
rights.  '  (Drawing  his  sword,  and  presenting  it  to  heaven,  he 
said) — "I  call  God  and  angels  to  witness  that  I  have  unsheathed 
my  sword  with  a  firm  and  unalterable  determination  that  this 
people  shall  have  their  legal  rights,  and  be  protected  from 
mob  violence,  or  my  blood  shall  be  spilt  upon  the  ground  like 
water,  and  m}^  body  consigned  to  the  silent  tomb.  While  I 
live,  I  will  never  tamely  submit  to  the  dominion  of  a  ciirsed 
mobocracy.  I  would  welcome  death  rather  than  submit  to 
this  oppression  ;  and  it  would  be  sweet,  oh,  sweet  to  rest  in  the 
grave,  rather  than  submit  to  this  oppression,  agitation,  annoy- 
ance, confusion,  and* alarm  upon  alarm,  any  longer. 

"I  call  upon  all  friends  of  truth  and  liberty  to  come  to  our 
assistance ;  and  may  the  thunders  of  the  Almighty,  and  the 
forked  lightnings  of  heaven,  and  pestilence,  and  war,  and  blood- 
shed come  down  on  those  ungodly  men  who  seek  to  destroy  my 
life  and  the  lives  of  this  innocent  pcoi)le. 

"I  do  not  regard  my  own  life.  I  am  ready  to  be  offered  a  sacri- 
fice for  this  people;  for  what  can  our  enemies  do?  Only  kill 
the  body,  and  their  power  is  then  at  an  end.  Stand  firm,  my 
friends  ;  never  flinch.  Do  not  seek  to  save  your  lives,  for  he 
that  is  afraid  to  die  for  the  truth  will  lose  eternal  life.  Hold 
out  to  the  end,  and  we  shall  be  resurrected,  and  become  like 
Grods,  and  reign  in  celestial  kingdoms,  principalities,  and  eter- 


0-5  THE   ]\IARTYRS. 

]ial  (lomiiiioiis,  Avliilc  this  cursed  mob  will  sink  to  hell,  the  por- 
tion of  nil  those  who  shed  innocent  blood. 

"God  has  tried  you.  You  area  good  people;  therefore  I 
love  you  with  all  my  heart.  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than 
that  he  should  lay  dovai  his  life  for  his  friends.  You  have 
stood  by  nie  in  the  hour  of  trouble,  and  I  am  willing  to  sacri- 
lice  my  life  for  your  preservation. 

"3Liy  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  bless  you  forever  and  ever.  I 
say  it. in  the  nauuM)f  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  in  the  authority 
of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  which  He  hath  conferred  upon  me." 

The  people  said  "Amen." 

On  the  morning  of  June  the  24th,  1S4-1:,  Brother  Joseph  had 
an  interview  with  the  officers  of  the  Legion,  with  the  leading 
members  of  the  City  Council,  and  with  the  principal  men  of 
the  city.  The  officers  were  instructed  to  dismiss  their  men, 
but  to  have  them  in  a  state  of  readiness  to  be  called  upon  in 
any  emergency  that  might  occur. 

About  half  past  six  o'clock  tlie  members  of  the  City  Council, 
the  marshal.  Brothers  Joseph  and  Hyiiim,  and  a  number  of 
others,  started  for  Carthage  on  horseback. ' ' 

On  reaching  the  Temple,  Joseph  halted,  and,  looking  admir- 
ingly upon  it  and  upon  the  city,  he  said: 

''This  is  the  loveliest  place  and  the  best  people  under  the 
I'.eavens;  little  do  they  know  the  trials  that  await  them." 

He  called  on  Brother  Daniel  H.  Wells,  who  was  sick,  and 
not  then  a  member  of  tlie  Church.  On  parting  with  him  he 
said: 

'■'Squire  Wells,  I  wish  3^ou  to  cherish  my  memory,  and  not 
lliink  me  the  worst  man  in  the  Avorld.  either." 

The  same  morning,  after  Hyrum  had  made  ready  to  start,  he 
ic:\\  the  following  paragrai)h,  near  the  close  of  the  fifth  chap- 
ter of  Ether,  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  turned  down  the 
le.if  upon  it : 

''And  it  came  to  pass  that  I  prayed  unto  the  Lord  that  he 
would  give  unto  the  Gentiles  grace,  that  they  might  have 
charity.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  if 
they  have  not  charity,  it  mattereth  not  unto  you,  thou  hast 
been  faithful ;  wherefore  thy  garments  are  clean.  And  because 
thou  hast  seen  thy  weakness,  thou  shait  be  made  strong,  even 
unto  the  sitting  down  in  the  place  which  I  have  prepared  in 

tlie   mansions   of  my  Father.     And  now  I bid    farewell 

unto  the  Gentiles;  yea  and  also  unto  my  brethren  whom  I  love, 


JOSEPU   AND    IIVIIUM   CIO   TO   CARTHAGE.  63 

until  we  shall  meet  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  where 
all  men  shall  know  that  my  garments  arc  not  spotted  with  your 
blood. ' ' 

Before  reaching  Carthage,  they  met  Captain  Dunn  on  his  way 
to  Nauvoo  with  an  order  from  the  governor  for  the  "State 
arms."  It  was  then  that  Joseph  said,  "i  am  going  like  a 
lamb  to  the  slaughter ;  hut  lam  calm  as  ((summer  s  morning  ; 
I  have  a  conscience  void  of  offense  towards  God,  and  towards 
all  men ;  I  shall  die  innocent.'' 

When  about  to  meet  with  this  company  Joseph  said  to  the 
brethren: 

'"Do  not  be  alarmed,  brethren,  for  they  cannot  do  more  to 
you  than  the  enemies  of  truth  did  to  the  ancient  saints— they 
can  only  kill  the  body. 

Joseph  endorsed  his  acceptance  on  the  governor's  order  for 
the  arms,  and  returned  with  the  posse  to  Nauvoo  to  obtain 
them ;  after  which  they  turned  back  to  Carthage,  where  they 
arrived  a  few  minutes  before  twelve  o'clock  at  night. 

In  the  morning  they  had  an  interview  with  the  governor  and 
he  pledged  the  faith  of  the  State  that  they  should  be  pro- 
tected. 

Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  then  arrested  on  a  charge  of  trea- 
son, upon  a  warrant  founded  on  the  oaths  of  H.  0.  Norton  and 
Augustine  Spencer. 

The  governor  and  General  Demming  afterwards  conducted 
them  before  the  McDonough  County  troops,  an  account  of 
which  is  contained  in  the  published  history  as  follows : 

"Carthage,  June  25th,  184:4. 

"Quarter  past  9.  The  governor  came  and  invited  Joseph  to 
walk  with  him  through  the  troops.  Joseph  solicited  a  few 
moments'  private  conversation  with  him,  which  the  governor 
refused. 

"While  refusing,  the  governor  looked  down  at  his  shoes,  as 
though  he  was  ashamed.  They  then  walked  through  the  crowd, 
with"  Brigadier  General  Miner  R.  Demming,  and  Dr.  Richards, 
to  General  Demming' s  quarters.  The  people  appeared  quiet 
until  a  company  of  Carthage  Greys  flocked  round  the  doors  of 
General  Demming  in  an  uproarious  manner,  of  which  notice 
was  sent  to  the  governor.  In  the  menatime  the  governor  had 
ordered  the  ^rcI)onough  troops  to  be  drawn  up  in  line,  for  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  to  pass  in  front  of  them,  they  having  requested 
that  they  might  have  a   clear   view   of  the  Generals  Smith. 


CA  TFIE  MARTYRS. 

Joseph  had  a  coiivermtion  with  the  governor  for  about  ten 
mmutas,  lohen  he  again  ijledged  the  faith  of  the  State  that  he 
and  his  friends  shoidd  be  protected  from  violence. 

''Robinson,  the  postmaster,  said,  on  report  of  martial  law 
being  proclaimed  in  Nauvoo,  lie  had  stopped  the  mail,  and  noti- 
fied the  post-master  general  of  the  state  of  things  in  Hancock 
County. 

■  vFrom  the  general's  quarters  Joseph  and  Hyrum  went  in  fi-ont 
of  the  lines,  in  a  hollow  square  of  a  cornpany  of  Carthage  Greys. 
At  seven  minutes  before  ten  they  arrived  in  front  of  the  lines, 
and  passed  before  the  whole,  Joseph  being  on  the  right  of  General 
Demming  and  Hyrum  on  his  left.  Elders  Richards,  Taylor  and 
Phelps  following.  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  introduced  by 
Govornor  Ford  about  twenty  times  along  the  line  as  General 
Joseph  Smith  and  General  H\Tum  Smith,  the  governor  walking 
in  front  on  the  left.  The  Carthage  Greys  refused  to  receive 
them  bj^  that  introduction,  and  some  of  the  officers  threw  up 
their  hats,  drew  their  swords,  and  said  they  would  introduce 
themslves  to  the  damned  'Mormons'  in  a  different  style.  The 
governor  mildly  entreated  them  not  to  act  so  rudely,  but  their 
excitement  increased;  the  governor,  however,^  succeeded  in 
pacifj'ing  them  by  making  a  speech,  and  promising  them  that 
they  should  have  'full  satisfaction. ' 

'  'A  little  later  a  number  of  officers  of  the  troops  visited  Joseph 
in  his  room.  Joseph  asked  them  if  there  was  anything  in  his 
appearance  that  indicated  that  he  was  the  desperate  character 
that  his  enemies  represented  him  to  be ;  and  he  requested  them 
to  give  him  their  honest  opinion  on  the  subject.  The  answer 
was : 

"  'No,  sir,  your  appearance  would  indicate  the  very  contrary, 
General  Smith ;  but  we  cannot  see  what  is  in  your  heart,  nei- 
ther can  we  tell  what  are  your  intentions. ' 

''To  which  Joseph  replied : 

"  'Very  true,  gentlemen,  you  cannot  see  what  is  in  my  heart, 
and  you  are  therefore  unable  to  judge  me  or  my  intentions  ;  but 
I  can  see  what  is  in  your  hearts,  and  will  tell  you  what  I  see.  I 
can  see  you  thirst  for  blood,  and  nothing  but  my  l)lood  will 
satisfv  you.  It  is  not  for  crime  of  any  description  that  I  and 
my  brethren  are  thus  continually  persecuted  and  harassed  by 
(jur  enemies,  but  there  are  other  motives,  and  some  of  them  I 
have  expressed,  so  far  as  relates  to  myself;  and  inasmuch  as 
you  and  the  people  thirst  for  blood,  I  prophesy,  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  that  you  shall  witness  scenes  of  blood  and  sorrow  to 
your  entire  satisfaction.  Your  souls  shall  be  perfectly  satiated 
with  blood,  and  many  of  you  who  are  now  present  shall  have 
an  oi)portunity  to  face  the  cannon's  mouth  from  sourci's  you 
think  not  of;  and  those  i>eople  that  desire  this  great  evil  upon 


COMMITTED  TO  JAIL.  65 

me  and  my  brethren,  shall  be  filled  with  regret  and  sorrow 
because  of  the  scenes  of  desolation  and  distress  that  await  them. 
They  shall  seek  for  peace,  and  shall  not  be  able  to  find  it. 
Gentlemen,  you  will  find  what  I  have  told  you  to  be  true.'  " 


CHAPTER    VII. 

COMMITED  TO  JAIL — MOB  DESPAIR  OF  CONVICTING  THE 
PRISONERS  BY  LEGAL  PROCESS  AND  DETERMINE  TO 
EFFECT  THEIR  PURPOSE  BY  POWDER  AND  BALL — GOV- 
ERNOR PROMISES  TO  TAKE  THEM  TO  NAUVOO  WITH  HIM — 
SENDS  MARSHAL  GREENE  TO  NAUVOO  TO  KEEP  ORDER 
DURING  HIS  VISIT — GOVERNOR  FORD  GOES  TO  NAUVOO, 
LEAVING  THE  PRISONERS  TO  THEIR.  FATE — A  MOB  WITH 
PAINTED  FACES  SURROUND  THE  JAIL  AND  MURDER 
JOSEPH  AND  HYRUM  SMITH  AND  WOUND  JOHN  TAYLOR 
—NEWS  OF  THE  JilASSACRE  SENT  TO  NAUVOO — GRIEF- 
STRICKEN  COiMMUNITY— ALARM  OF  THE  MOBOCRATS — 
ARRIVAL  OF  THE  BODIES   OF  THE  MARTYRS. 

The  prisoners  were  committed  to  jail,  June  25th.  Soon 
after,  some  of  the  counsel  for  the  prosecution  expressed  a  wish 
that  the  prisoners  should  be  brought  out  of  jail  for  examination. 
Joseph's  counsel  remonstrated,  saying :  "The  prisoners  had 
already  been  committed,  and  that  the  justice  and  constable 
had  no  further  control  of  them ;  and  that  if  the  prosecu- 
tors wished  the  prisoners  brought  out  of  jail,  they  should 
bring  them  out  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  or  some  other  due 
course  of  law. ' ' 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  justice  made  out  an  order  to  the 
jailor  which  was  given  to  a  constable  to  execute,  demanding 
that  the  bodies  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  be  brought 
forthwith  from  the  jail,  before  him,  for  an  examination  on  the 
charge  of  treason.  The  prisoners  having  been  committed  to 
the  custody  of  the  jailor  until  discharged  by  due  course  of 
law,  and  he  knowing  that  the  order  was  illegal,  refused  to 
deliver  them    to   the    constable;  whereupon    the   governor's 


66  THE  MARTYRS. 

troops  took  them  to  the  Court  House,  when  the  hearing 
was  continued  to  the  2yth,  and  they  were  returned  to  jail.  It 
then  began  to  be  rumored,  ''that  there  icas  nothing  against 
these  men;  the  law  could  not  reach  t Item ,  hut  powder  a)id  hall 
would  P^ 

It  should  be  here  stated  that  Joseph  had  on  two  or  three 
occasions,  since  he  arri^'ed  in  Carthage,  informed  the  governor 
that  his  life  was  not  safe  there,  and  if  he  (the  governor)  went 
to  Nauvoo  he  wished  to  go  along,  so  that  he  might  have  his 
protection.  The  governor  gave  him  a  promise,  two  or  three 
times  rei)cated,  that  in  the  event  of  his  going  to  Nauvoo,  he 
would  take  Joseph  with  him. 

In  conversation  with  the  governor,  Joseph  said  :  "Further- 
more, in  relation  to  the  press,  you  say  that  j^ou  differ  with  me 
in  opinion.  Be  it  so;  the  thing,  after  all,  is  only  a  legal 
difficulty,  and  "the  coui-ts,  I  should  judge,  are  comi)etent  to 
decide  on  that  matter.  If  our  act  was  illegal,  we  are  willing  to 
meet  it. ' ' 

But  Joseph  believed,  that  under  the  charter  of  the  city  of 
Nauvoo,  the  municipal  court  had  the  legal  right  to  abate  the 
Expositor  as  a  nuisance.  Still  he  acknowledged  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  higher  courts,  and  if,  upon  investigation,  the  case  should 
be  decided  against  the  city,  he  was  ready  to  submit  thereto  and 
abide  by  it.  He,  in  substance,  so  expressed  himself  to  Gover- 
nor Ford. 

On  the  morning  of  June  27,  1844,  John  P.  Greene,  the 
City  Marshal  of  Nauvoo,  having  been  committed,  in  company 
with  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  on  a  charge  of  treason,  and 
confined  in  Carthage  jail,  was  called  out  by  the  governor,  and 
sent  to  Nauvoo  to  have  the  police  on  duty,  and  see  that  there 
were  no  riotous  demonstrations  on  the  part  of  the  populace 
when  he,  the  governor,  should  come  into  the  cit}",  he  having 
concluded  to  visit  Nauvoo  that  day.  The  marshal  obtained  a 
promise  from  the  governor,  before  leaving,  that  he  would 
bring  Josejih  and  Hyrum  Smith  with  him. 

"The  governor  was  made  acquainted  with  the  threats 
that  had  been  made  against  the  lives  of  the  prisoners,  but  on 
the  morning  of  the  27th,  he  disbanded  the  IVIcDonough 
troops,  and  sent  them  home;  took  Captain  Dunn's  company  of 


THE  ]\rARTYRDOM   OP  JOSEPH  AND   IIYRUM.  67 

cavalry  and  proceeded  to  Nauvoo,  leaving  these  two  men  and 
three  or  four  friends,  to  be  guarded  by  eight  men  at  the  jail; 
and  a  company  in  town  of  sixty  men,  eighty  or  one  hundred 
rods  from  the  jail,  as  a  corps  in  reserve." 

Says  the  Times  and  Seasons:  "About  six  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  (June  l^Tth)  the  guard  was  surprised  by  an  armed 
mob  of  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  fifty, 
painted  red,  black  and  yellow,  which  surrounded  the  jail, 
forced  in — poured  a  shower  of  bullets  into  the  room  where  these 
unfortunate  men  were  held,  'in  durance  vile,'  to  answer  to  the 
laws  of  Illinois;  midcr  the  solemn  pledge  of  the  faith  of  the 
State,  by  Governor  Ford,  that  they  should  he  i>rotected!  but 
the  moi)  ruled ! !  They  fell  as  martyrs  amid  this  tornado  of 
lead,  each  receiving  four  bitllets !  John  Taylor  was  wounded  by 
four  bullets  in  his  limbs.  Thus  perishes  the  hope  of  law ;  thus 
vanishes  the  plighted  faith  of  the  State ;  thus  the  blood  of 
innocence  stains  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  United 
States,  and  thus  have  two  among  the  most  noble  martyrs  since 
the  slaughter  of  Abel,  sealed  the  truth  of  their  divine  mission, 
by  being  shot  by  a  mob  for  their  religion. ' ' 

While  this  bloody  tragedy  was  being  enacted  at  Carthage, 
Governor  Ford,  instead  of  protecting  liis  prisoners  as  he  had 
pledged  his  honor  to  do,  was  at  Nauvoo.  He  stood  upon  the 
very  frame  of  a  building  where  Joseph,  for  the  last  time,  had 
addressed  the  Legion,  five  or  six  days  previously.  He  was 
speaking  to  a  large  assemblage  of  people,  and,  among  other 
insulting  things,  gave  utterance  to  the  following : 

"A  great  crime  has  been  done  by  destroying  the  Expositor 
press  and  placing  the  city  under  martial  law,  and  a  severe  atone- 
ment must  he  made^  so  prepare  your  minds  for  the  emergency. 
Another  cause  of  excitement  is  the  fact  of  your  having  so  many 
firearms ;  the  public  are  afraid  that  you  are  going  to  use  them 
to  usurp  the  government.  I  know  there  is  a  great  prejudice 
against  j^ou  on  account  of  your  peculiar  religion,  but  ,you  ought 
to  be  praying  Saints,  not  military  Saints.  Depend  upon  it,  a 
little  more  misbehavior  on  the  part  of  the  citizens,  and  the 
torch  which  is  now  already  lighted,  will  be  applied ;  the  city 
may  be  reduced  to  ashes,  and  extermination  would  inevitably 
follow ;  and  it  gave  me  great  pain  to  think  that  there  was  dan- 
ger of  so  many  innocent  women  and  children  being  extermin- 
ated. If  anything  of  a  serious  character  should  befall  the  lives 
or  property  of  the  persons  who  are  prosecuting  your  leaders, 
you  will  be  held  responsible. ' ' 

News  of  the  massacre  was  forthwith  sent  to  Nauvoo,  but  the 
messengers  did  not  arrive  there  until  early  next  morning.    They 


68  THE  MARTYRS. 

brought  a  letter  signed  by  Willard  Richards,  John  Taylor  and 
Samuel  H.  Smith,  stating  that  the  governor  had  just  arrived  in 
Carthage,  who  stated  that  "all  things  shall  be  inquired  into, 
and  all  right  measures  taken." 

This  letter  contained  the  following  items:  "I  say  to  all  the 
citizens  of  Nauvoo,  my  brethren,  be  still,  and  know  that  God 
reigns.  Dont  rush  out  of  the  city — don't  rush  to  Carthage  ; 
stay  at  home  and  be  prepared  for  an  attack  from  Missouri 
mobbers. 

'  'We  will  prepare  to  move  the  bodies  as  soon  as  possible. 

"The  people  of  the  County  are  greatly  excited,  and  fear  the 
'Mormons'  will  come  and  take  vengeance.  I  have  pledged  my 
word  the  'Mormons'  will  stay  at  home  as  soon  as  they  can  be 
informed,  and  no  violence  will  be  used  on  their  part. ' ' 

To  this  letter  is  appended  this  note : 

"Defend    yourselves    until    protection    can    be    furnished 
necessary.     June  27th,  1844. 
"Thomas  Ford, 

"Grovcrnor  and  Commander  in  Chief" 

And  also  the  following : 

''"3Ir.   Orson  Spencer, 

"Dear  Sir: — Please  deliberate  on  this  matter; 
prudence  may  obviate  material  destruction.  I  was  at  my  resi- 
dence  when  this  horrible  crime  was  committed.  It  will  be 
condemned  by  three-fourths  of  the  citizens  of  the  County — be 
quiet  or  you  will  be  attacked  from  Missouri. 

"M.  K  Deming." 

The  Times  and  Secisons  further  remarks : 

"The  governor  as  well  as  the  citizens  of  Carthage,  were 
thunderstruck !  and  fled. 

'  'The  Legion  in  Nauvoo  was  called  out  at  ten  a.  m. ,  and 
addressed  by  Judge  Phelps,  Colonel  Buckmaster,  of  Alton, 
the  governor's  aid,  and  others;  and  all  excitement  and  fury 
allayed,  and  preparations  were  made  to  receive  the  bodies  of 
the  noble  martyrs.  About  three  o'clock  the.y  were  met  by  a 
great  assemblage  of  people  east  of  the  Temple  on  Mulholland 
Street,  under  the  direction  of  the  City  Marshal,  followed  by 
Samuel  H.  Smith,  the  brother  of  the  deceased,  Dr.  Kichards 
and  Mr.  Hamilton,  of  Carthage.  The  wagons  were  guarded 
by  eight  men.  The  procession  that  followed  in  Nauvoo,  was 
the  City  Council,  the  Lieutenant-General's  statF,  Major-General 


THE  MARTYRS   LYING  IN  STATE.  69 

and  staff,  the  Brigadier  General  and  staff,  commanders  and 
officers  of  the  Legion  and  citizens  generallj-,  which  numbered 
several  thousands,  amid  the  most  solemn  lamentations  and 
wailings  that  ever  ascended  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  hosts 
to  be  avenged  of  our  enemies. 

"When  the  procession  arrived,  the  bodies  were  both  taken 
into  the  Xauvoo  Mansion.  The  scene  at  the  Mansion  cannot 
be  described.  The  audience  was  addressed  bj'  Dr.  Richards, 
Judge  Phelps,  Woods  and  Eeed,  Esquires,  of  Iowa,  and 
Colonel  3Iarkham.  It  was  a  vast  assemblage  of  some  eight  or 
ten  thousand  persons,  and  Avith  one  united  voice  they  resolved 
to  trust  to  the  law  for  a  remedj'  of  such  a  high-handed  assassi- 
nation, and  when  that  failed,  to  call  upon  Grod  to  avenge  them 
of  their  wrongs!  Oh!  vvidows  and  orphans!  Oh!  Ameri- 
cans weep !  for  the  glor\^  of  freedom  has  departed ! ' ' 

After  the  bodies  of  the  honored  dead  were  dressed  and  fully- 
prepared,  they  were  placed  in  coffins  and  lay  in  state,  in  the 
large  dining  room,  where  many  thousands  of  people  passed 
through,  two  by  two,  and  newed,  for  the  last  time,  their  earthly 
remains. 

That  scene  was  one  of  great  solemnit}^  Language  is  too 
feeble  to  draw  an  adequate  picture.  The  deep  and  pungent 
emotions  that  are  ingenerate  in  the  bosom,  cannot  be  declared 
in  words,  when  thus  stirred  to  their  inmost  depths.  The  lacer- 
ated heart  must  feel  the  extent  of  its  own  woes,  and  with  that 
be  content.  Words  are  far  too  impotent  to  transmit  it  to  the 
full  understanding  of  another. 

Death,  in  any  form,  is  an  unwelcome  visitant,  and  casts  a 
shadow  over  us,  that  oppresses  with  its  gloominess.  But  when 
the  good,  the  generous,  the  i3hilanthopist,  the  towering  patriot 
and  champion  of  equal  rights,  is  cut  down  in  the  prime  of  man- 
hood and  in  the  midst  of  usefulness,  by  a  ruthless  hand,  then, 
indeed,  is  the  grief  intensified  and  made  uncontrollable,  even  to 
the  most  philosophic  mind. 

These  were  the  devoted  leaders  of  a  great  people.  They 
were  the  favored  of  heaven,  the  commissioned  of  the  Great 
Eternal  One.  They  were  the  chosen  delegates  to  move  the 
cause  of  righteousness  among  the  nations,  preparatory  to  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.  They  testified  of  peace  and  good-wi^l, 
but  the  fary  of  the  wicked  encompassed  them  with  the  tempest 
of  passion,  and  Carthage  prison  and  the  State  escutcheon  were 
crimsoned  with  their  innocent  blood. 


70  TIIE  MARTYRS. 

Tliey  liiid  becu  humble  and  patient,  yet  persevering  in  pushing 
forward  their  mission  of  love.  Through  perils  they  had  passed 
undismayed.  The  menace  of  mobs  could  not  awe  them  into 
silence.  In  prison  they  stood  erect  in  dignity,  as  a  tyrant's 
chains  hung  upon  them.  Tliey  loved  their  country's  laws 
because,  if  properly  executed,  they  were  calculated  to  shelter 
the  honest  sons  of  toil  under  the  shadow  of  the  tree  of 
liberty. 

High-minded  and  honorable,  j'et  kind  and  gentle  in  deport- 
ment, they  won  the  love,  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew 
them  best.  To  them  the  widow  and  fatherless  looked  for 
encouragement,  and  the  down-trodden  and  oppressed  turned  to 
them  for  protection. 

But,  alas!  the  tragedy  had  been  enacted!  Assassination 
had  fired  the  deadly  volley  and  their  perforated  forms  lay 
motionless  in  the  embrace  of  death.  It  was  so.  Words  are 
useless  now. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

account  of  the  massacre  by  one  who  was  among  the 
mob— probable  fate  of  this  imformer  —  how  he 
happened  to  be  with  the  mob  party — details  of 
the  massacre— reflections  on  the  horrible  deed 
— return  to  his  home — a  dreaivi — determination  to 
do  what  he  could  to  bring  the  murderers  to 
justice — visit  to  nata^oo  and  quincy — hush-money 
offered  him — he  joins  the  church  —  efforts  to 
put  him  out  of  tiie  way — before  tiie  grand  jury 
as  a  witness — nine  persons  indicted — murderers 
allowp:d  to  go  free. 

AT  ANY  of  the  facts  connected  with  the  murder  of  Joseph 
^^^  and  Hyrum  Smith  have  now  been  related.  But  the  ques- 
tions arise :  AVho  committed  the  deed?  In  what  manner  was 
it  accomplished? 


DANIELS'   ACCOUNT  OF  THE  MASSACRE.  71 

T(i  I'liUy  ])resciit  this  phase  of  the  cruel  butchery,  the  follow- 
ing statements  of  an  eye-witness  are  introduced.  It  is  an 
account  given  by  Wni.  M.  Daniels,  which  was  written  out  care- 
fully by  the  author  of  this  vohmie,  and  printed  in  a  i)aniphlet, 
at  Nauvoo. 

Mr.  Daniels,  for  some  time  after  the  murder,  resided  in 
Nauvoo,  where  he  joined  the  Church.  In  justice  to  him  it 
should  be  here  stated  that  he  evinced  the  fullest  sincerity  while 
relating  the  incidents  of  his  narrative.  As  regards  the  flash  of 
light  described  by  him,  which  is  illustrated  in  our  engraving, 
he  averred  most  emphatically  that  it  occurred  as  related.  Even 
before  the  court,  when  the  murderers  were  arraigned  for  exam- 
ination as  to  their  complicity  in  the  bloody  deed,  he  was  con- 
fronted by  the  law^-ers  for  the  mob  party,  and  there  stated  that 
all  he  had  told  was  the  truth. 

As  to  the  correctness  of  this  strange  exhibition  of  light,  the 
author  knows  nothing  personally ;  but  it  is  given  as  Daniels' 
testimony,  among  the  other  incidents,  and  he  leaves  the  reader 
to  draw  such  conclusions  as  may  seem  reasonable. 

The  whereabouts  of  Mr.  Daniels  has  been  unknown  to  the 
writer  since  1846.  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  some  of  the 
parties  implicated  in  the  tragedy  at  Carthage  assassinated  him 
for  exposing  them.  They  swore  they  would  do  so,  and  were 
hunting  for  him  previous  to  the  exodus  of  the  Saints  from 
Nauvoo.  On  the  steamboat  Ocean  lFai;e  a  party  of  them  tried 
to  get  some  information,  as  to  where  Daniels  might  be  found, 
from,  and  also  laid  a  cunning  plan  to  entrap,  the  writer  when  the 
boat  should  land  at  Yf  arsaw,  for  the  part  he  took  in  the  publi- 
cation— but  they  failed. 

The  follo^^^ng  is  the  statement  of  Daniels : 

1  resided  in  Augusta,  Hancock  County,  111.,  eighteen  miles 
from  Carthage.  On  the  16th  day  of  June,  I  left  my  home  with 
the  intention  of  going  to  St.  Louis.  When  I  arrived  at  Bear 
Creek,  I  found  the  country  in  a  great  state  of  excitement,  in 
relation  to  the  "Mormons."  I  was  told  it  would  be  dangerous 
for  me  to  proceed  farther  on  my  way  to  Warsaw,  as  the  inter- 
mediate country  was  mostly  settled  by  "Mormons,"  who  \yould, 
in  all  probability,  intercept  me  by  violence.  I  knew  nothing  of 
the  character  and  disposition  of  the^  "Mormon"  people,  never 
having  been  personally  acquainted  with  them  as  a  community, 


72  THE  MARTYRS. 

The  tales  ol'villiimy  tliat  were  related  concern iiig  them,  were  so 
horrid  and  shocking  that  I  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of  my 
advisers,  and  abandoned,  for  that  day.  at  least,  my  intention  of 
proceedmg  farther  on  my  journey.  I  lodged  that  night  with  a 
Mr.  Scott. 

The  next  morning  a  company  of  men  were  going  from  that 
place  to  Carthage,  for  the  purpose,  as  they  said,  of  assisting  the 
militia  to  drive  the  '  'JMormons' '  out  of  the  countr}^  Out  of  curi- 
osity, as  I  had  no  particular  way  to  sjiend  my  time,  and  the  creeks 
having  been  rendered  impassable  that  night  by  heavy  rain,  I 
w^ent  in  company  with  them  to  Carthage."  On  our  w^ay  there, 
they  were  discussing  the  best  means  to  be  adopted  for  the  expul- 
sion of  the  "3Iormon"  population.  Some  were  for  marching 
to  Nauvoo,  and  laying  the  city  in  ashes,  and  drivino-  the  inhab- 
itants from  the  limits  of  the  State,  at  the  point  of  tbe  bayonet ; 
others  w^ere  for  murdering  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  w^hile 
others  were  in  favor  of  ac<?omplishing  both  of  these  barbarous 
objects. 

I  noticed  minutely  their  conversation,  and  it  w^as  not 
hard  for  me  to  discover  that  all  their  animosity  and  hatred  of 
their  neighbors,  arose  from  a  spirit  of  envy.  I  heard  no  person 
declaring  that  the  "Mormons"  had  ever  personally  injured  him; 
but  they  swore  that  '  'Old  Joe' '  was  getting  too  much  power  and 
influence  in  the  world,  and  he  ought  to  be  put  out  of  the  way. 
His  career  ought  to  be  stopped.  They  looked  upon  him  as  no 
less  than  a  second  Mahomet,  who  would  soon  spring  into  power, 
usurp  the  reins  of  government,  and  establish  his  religion  by  the 
sword.  To  prevent  such  a  calamity  from  befalling  the  w^orld, 
they  argued  that  it.would  be  doing  Grod  sendee  to  take  his  life, 
supposing  that  would  also  totally  annihilate  the  religion  called 
"Mormonism.'' 

From  that  hour  I  looked  upon  them  as  demons,  not  men,  and 
determined  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  prevent  so  bloody  and  awful 
an  occurrence.  I  w^as  not  attached  to  any  religious  society 
whatever,  and  was  willing  that  all  mankind  should  worship 
Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  ow^n  consciences. 
I  knew  that  the  laws  of  my  country,  which  I  had  been  taught 
to  honor  and  revere,  granted  all  men  that  right  and  privilege, 
while  they  were  the  subjects  of  its  government.  I  hoped  that 
her  institutions  might  be  untarnished  and  her  dignity  unsullied 
and  free  from  so  disgraceful  an  event  as  was  then  in  contempla- 
tion. 

We  arrived  in  Carthage,  and  found  the  Carthage  Grreys,  and 
several  other  companies,  on  parade.  I  was  told  their  object  was 
to  drive  the  ''Mormons."'  I  w^ould  remark  tbat  a  certain 
preacher,  professing  to  be  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  the  world,  was  engaged  in  playing  a  drum  at  the 
head  of  this  company. 


INFLA>rMATORY  SPEECHES  ABOUT  THE  "MORMONS.  /-> 

These  companies  were  commanded  by  Captains  Smith,  Orecn 
and  others,  who  were  grecftly  excited,  and  said  they  v/ere  deter- 
mined to  kill  the  '-Mormons."  On  hearing  that  the  governor 
was  on  his  way  to  Carthage,  the.\'  were  very  much  alarmed; 
whereupon  Joseph  H.  Jackson,  in  company  with  Dr.  Foster, 
¥.  M.  Higbce,  and  others,  declared  that  if  the  Governor,  "Tom" 
Ford,  came,  and  gave  the  Smiths— Joseijh  and  Hymm— a  fair 
trial,  they  would  be  acquitted,  and  we  will  be  hung  as  sure  as 
there  is  a  God  in  heaven.     Further  he  obsen^ed,  "1  do  not  see 

why  the  d d  little  governor  c(juld  not  stay  at  home,  and  send 

us  word,  and  we  would  do  the  business  up  in  a  huny,  and  drive 
the  'Mormons'  out  of  the  country." 

I  returned  to  Bear  Creek  that  night,  with  the  intention 
of  leaving  for  St.  Louis  the  next  morning.  However,  on  the 
morning  of  the  20th,  hearing  thai  the  (lovernor  had  arrived  at 
Carthage,  and  being  somewhat  ac(|uainted  with  him,  I  concluded 
to  return  and  see  him,  which  1  did. 

When  I  arrived  at  Carthage,  he  was  addressing  the  people  at 
the  Court  House,  in  relation  to  the  "Mormon"  difficulties.  He 
said  he  came  there  to  see  that  the  law  was  fully  carried  out. 
When  he  was  done,  Mr.  lloosevelt,  of  W^arsaw,  went  upon  the 
public  square,  mounted  a  box,  and  made  an  inflammatory  speech 
to  the  people  who  had  collected,  wherein  he  stated  that  thelaw 
was  not  sufficient  to  carry  out  their  measures.  Stretching 
out  his  arms  at  full  length,  he  said,  with  all  the  energy  in  his 
power:  ''We  hare  the  willmr/ minds,  and  God  Almighty  has 
given  us  strength,  and  we  ludl  wield  the  sahre  and  make  onr 
own  laws.T''  He  then  said  he  presumed  that  the  governor 
meant  well  enough,  but  was  too  easy  in  his  remarks  to  them, 
in  saying  that  he  wished  a  compliance  with  the  laws. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  soon  gave  way  for  Mr.  Skinner,  a  ''young  limb 
of  the  law,"  a  tool  for  mobocracy,  and,  at  the  time,  a  candidate 
for  the  Legislature,  who  made  a  short  speech,  wherein  he  stated 
he  was  one  of  the  delegates  appointed  by  the  people  of  Carthage 
to  go  to  Springfield  and  lay  before  the  governor  their  grievances. 
He  was  not  so  severe  upon  the  governor  as  Mr.  Roosevelt  had 
been.  He  presumed  the  governor  would  do  what  was  right, 
but  his  uhimate  course  proved  him  to  be  the  most  hypocritical. 

The  governor  gave  orders,  which  were  read  by  Capt.  Dunn, 
that  all  the  people  who  had  been  promiscuously  assembled  in 
Carthage,  should  be  consolidated  in  the  militia,  under  his  com- 
mand, to  co-operative  in  maintaining  the  supremacy  of  thelaw. 

1  returned  to  Bear  Creek  that  evening.  In  the  morning,  I 
proceeded  to  Warsaw.  On  my  arrival  there,  a  force  of  about 
three  hundred  men  was  mustered  upon  the  parade  ground  under 
the  command  of  Cai)tains  Aldrich  Grover,  Elliott,  and  C(»l. 
Williams  of  Green  Plains.  I  wished  to  know  what  their  inten- 
tions were,  and  was  informed  that  they  were  determmed  to  drne 


74  THE  MARTTRS. 

the  (1 ^d  Mormons  out  of  the  County.    I  remained  there  five 

days ;  during  which  time  Williams,  Koosevelt,  Sharp,  and  others, 
were  continually  beating  up  for  volunteers,  by  making  inflamma- 
tory speeches,  exciting  the  populace  and  making  false  publica- 
tions to  the  world.  Col  Williams  announced  that  he  was  em- 
powered by  the  governor,  to  stop  and  search  steamboats,  at  the 
wharf,  at  Warsaw.  Accordingly,  he  stopped  the  steam  packet 
Osprey.  On  Capt.  Anderson's  refusal  to  let  him  search  the 
boat,  he  ordered  his  men  to  fire  upon  her.  The  cannon  was 
leveled  upon  the  boat.  As  they  were  in  the  act  of  firing,  a 
gentlemen  who,  was  standing  by,  being  sober,  (for  most  of  them 
^vere  badly  intoxicated)  placed  his  hand  between  the  match  and 
powder,  which  prevented  ignition.  They,  however,  searched 
the  boat ;  but  did  not  succeed  in  finding  but  eight  or  nine  kegs 
of  powder,  which  they  permitted  to  remain  on  board.  That 
evening  they  fired  upon  two  more  steamboats,  with  their  mus- 
kets, which  they  compelled  to  stop.  Col  Williams  informed  the 
Captains,  that  he  had  orders  to  search  their  boats  forammunition, 
arms,  proA  isions,  etc.  The  captains  consented,  and  search  was 
instituted,  but  nothing  was  found  which  was  considered  contra- 
band, and  the  boats  resumed  their  course. 

Relative  to  the  governor's  giving  the  people  of  Warsaw  orders 
to  stop  and  search  steamboats,  I  would  remark  that  Grov.  Ford 
informed  me  at  Quincy,  that  he  had  not  given  them  orders  to 
stop  any  boats,  WMtli  the  exception  of  the  Maid  of  Iowa,  a  boat 
then  owned  by  the  ''Mormons,"  which  the  people  supposed 
might  convey  away  ircn.  Smith.  Here  we  see  a  wnllful  and 
arbitrary  infraction  of  law^  and  order,  on  the  part  of  this  mili- 
tary Nero,  Col.  Williams,  and  the  mobbers  of  Warsaw. 

All  was  commotion  and  turmoil  through  Warsaw  and  its  vicin- 
ity. The  scenery  had  become  insipid  and  irksome  to  me,  and 
I  longed  for  relief  and  to  be  wliere  my  mind  could  be  at  rest. 
Passing  through  such  continual  bustle,  watching  the  movements 
of  the  rabble  wdio,'  like  a  horde  of  impetuous  barbarians,  seemed 
impelled  on,  by  the  blind  infatuation  of  priests  and  shallow  zeal- 
ots, in  hopes  of  booty,  disgusted  and  sickened  me  and  fired  me 
with  contempt.  My  mind  reverted  to  the  time  when  the 
dark  and  bloody  Attila  led  on  the  ignorant  Huns  to  conquest, 
plunder  and  extermination,  applying  the  torch  of  conflagration 
to  pleasant  villages  and  sequestered  homes. 

On  Tuesday,  1  started  for  Quincy.  As  I  pursued  my  journey 
from  Warsaw,  my  mind  was  uneasy  and  restless.  When  I  had 
travelled  near  eight  miles  I  enipiired  my  way,  and,  through 
accident  or  design,  I  was  placed  upon  a  road  that  led  me  directly 
back  to  Warsaw.  My  mind  was  composed  and  tranquil  as  I 
came  in  sight  of  the  place.  My  attention  was  attracted  by  a 
group  of  men.  ap])arently  in  earnest  conversation.  I  drew  near 
and  learned  that  the  Carthage  Greys  had  made  them  the  prop- 


DETAILS   OF  THE  MASSACRE.  Y5 

ositiou  to  come  to  Carthage,  on  the  following  day,  and  assist  them 
in  murdering  Joseph  and  Hyfum  Smith,  during  the  al^sence  of 
the  governor,  atGolden's  Point,  where  he  contemplated  march- 
ing with  the  troops.  As  soon  as  they  discovered  that  i  had 
learned  the  purpose  of  their  conference,  they  ))ecame  suspicious 
of  me,  fearing  exposure,  no  doubt,  and  put  me  under  guard. 
I  was  held  in  custody  until  the  following  morning,  when  a  com- 
pany of  volunteers  was  raised,  to  march  to  (lolden's  l*oint,  to 
unite  with  the  governor.  I  desired  to  make  the  governor 
aciuainted  with  what  was  contemplated  against  the  lives  of  the 
])risouers.  To  effect  this  object,  I  volunteered,  and  drew  a 
musket.  The  company  was  paraded  in  single  hie ;  roll  was  called 
and  Capt.  Jacob  Davis,  (the  murderer,  who  was  afterward 
screened  from  justice  by  the  Senate  of  Illinois,)  and  Capt.  Grro- 
ver,  selected  ten  men  each  from  their  respective  companies,  who 
were  to  march  to  Carthage,  in  compliance  with  the  rcijuest  of 
the  Carthage  Greys,  to  co-operative  with  them  in  committing 
the  murder.  These  twenty  men  were  marched  a  short  distance 
to  one  side,  where  they  received  their  instructions  from  Col. 
Williams,  Mark  Aldrich,  Capt.  Jacob  Davis,  and  Capt.  Grover, 
and  they  were  sent  off.  I  do  not  recollect  the  names  of  any  of 
these  twenty,  with  the  exception  of  two  brothers^oopers  in 
Warsaw,  by  the  name  of  Stevens.  One  of  them  is  about  six 
feet  three  inches  high,  well  proportioned  and  athletic.  The 
other  is  near  five  feet  nine  inches  high,  with  dark  complexion 
and  dark  hair.  When  the  officers  were  interrogated  as  to  the 
object  of  these  twenty  men  being  sent  in  advance  of  the  troops, 
they  evaded  the  truth  by  replying  that  they  had  been  detailed 
for  a  picket  guard. 

The  troops  were  marched.  We  arrived  at  the  crossing  of  the 
railroad  at  12  o'clock.  We  were  there  met  by  Sharp  and  others, 
bearing  dispatches  from  the  governor,  disbanding  the  troops. 
This  unexpected  order  threw  the  troops  into  a  perfect  panic. 
They  cursed  the  governor  for  not  perrnitting  them  to  march 
through  to  Nauvoo.  Their  object  in  wishing  to  go — and  this 
was  understood  with  all  the  militia — was  to  burn  the  city  and 
exterminate  the  inhabitants.  These  designs  were  baffled  by  the 
disbanding  of  the  troops.  In  justice  to  the  character  of  Governor 
Ford,  I  would  remark  that  his  object  in  disbanding  the  troops, 
was  to  prevent  such  an  awful  caiamity. 

The  disbanding  orders  were  read  by  Col.  •  Levi  Williams. 
Captains  Davis,  Grover  and  Elliott,  immediately  called  their 
companies  together. 

Thomas  C.  Sharp  mounted  his  "big  bay  horse,''  and  made  an 
inflammatory  speech  to  the  companies,  characteristic  of  his 
corrupt  heart.  The  following  is  a  short  extract,  as  near  as  my 
memory  will  serve  me : 


76  THE  MARTYRS. 

"Friends  and  Fellow-Citizens!  The  crisis  lias  arrive  J 
when  it  becomes  our  duty  to  rise,  as  freemen,  and  assert  our 
rights.  The  law  is  iusutricient  for  us;  the  governor  will  not 
enforce  it ;  we  must  take  it  into  our  hands ;  we  know  what 
wrongs  we  suiter,  and  we  are  the  best  calculated  to  redress  them. 
Now  is  the  time  to  j^ut  a  period  to  the  mad  career  of  the  Prophet ; 
sustained  as  he  is  by  a  band  of  fanatical  military  saints!  We 
have  borne  his  usur])ations  until  it  would  be  cowardice  to  bear 
them  longer !  jMy,  Fellow  citizens  !  improve  the  o])portunity 
that  offers  ;  lest  the  opportunity  pass,  and  the  despotic  Prophet 
will  never  again  be  in  your  power.  All  things  are  understood, 
we  must  hasten  to  Carthage  and  murder  the  Smiths,  while  the 
governor  is  absent  at  Nauvoo.  Beard  the  lions  in  their  den. 
The  news  will  reach  iVauvoo  before  the  go\ernor  leaves.  This 
will  so  enrage  the  ''Mormons/' that  they  will  fall  upon  and 

murder  Tom  Ford,  and  we  shall  then  be  rid  of  the  d d  little 

governor  and  the  'Mormons'  too."  (Cheers.) 

This  speech  was  likely  to  fail  of  having  the  desired  effect. 
None  seemed  willing  to  be  the  first  to  start.  At  last  Capt.  Grover 
started,  and  declared  he  would  go  alone,  if  no  person  would  follow 
him.  Soon  one  person  followed,  then  another,  vmtil  a  company 
of  eighty- four  was  made  up.  All  the  troops  that  had  not  volun- 
teered in  this  company  were  told  to  go  home.  The  twenty  men 
who  had  been  sent  forward  to  commit  the  murder,  were  sent 
for  and  they  formed  a  part  of  the  eighty- four. 

Here  I  felt  that  the  purpose  for  wliich  I  volunteered,  had 
been  baffled.  I  expected  to  have  met  with  the  governor  at 
Golden' s  Point,  and  could  I  have  done  so,  I  entertained  no 
doubt,  I  could  have  succeeded  in  putting  a  stop  to  the  murder. 
But  instead  of  marching  to  Golden' s  Point  as  we  anticipated, 
he  marched  to  Nauvoo.  Under  these  circumstances  I  was  at 
a  loss  to  know  what  to  do.  I  had  not  time  to  go  to  Nauvoo, 
and  raise  a  posse  to  surround  the  jail  as  a  guard,  before  this 
company  would _  arrive  there.  I  was  on  foot,  and  would  have 
ten  or  twelve  miles  farther  to  travel  than  they.  As  I  could  do 
nothing  better,  I  was  determined  to  follow  on  with  the  com- 
pany and  see  what  they  would  do.  Several  others,  like  myself, 
followed  out  of  curiosity,  without  being  armed.  Carthage  lay 
directly  on  my  route  home. 

After  we  had  arrived  within  nearly  six  miles  of  Carthage, 
they  made  a  halt.  Col.  Williams  rode  three  or  four  times 
backwards  and  forwards  from  the  company  to  the  Carthage 
Greys.  He  said  he  would  have  the  Carthage  Greys  come  and 
meet  them.  They  marched  within  four  miles  of  Carthage, 
when  they  were  met  by  one  of  the  Greys,  bringing  a  note  to 
the  following  import  : 

"Now  is  a  delightful  time  to  murder  the  Smiths.  The  gov- 
ernor has  gone  to  Nauvoo  with  all  the  troops.     The  Carthage 


THE  PLOT  OF  THE  MOB.  77 

Greys  are  left  to  guard  the  prisoners.  Five  of  our  men  will  be 
stationed  at  the  jail;  the  rest  will  be  upon  the  public  square. 
To  keep  up  appearances,  you  will  attack  the  men  atthe  jail— a 
sham  sculHe  will  ensue — their  guns  will  be  loaded  with  blank 
cartridges— they  will  fire  in  the  air. ' ' 

They  were  also  instructed  by  the  person  bearing  this  dispatch, 
to  lire  three  guns  as  they  advanced  along  the  fence  that  led 
from  the  woods  to  the  jail.  This  was  to  serve  as  a  signal  to  the 
Carthage  Greys,  that  they  were  in  readiness. 

After  they  had  received  their  instructions,  the  company  fol- 
lowed along  up  the  hollow  that  struck  into  the  point  of  timber. 

Here  I  left  them,  and  pursued  my  way  to  the  jail,  where  I 
arrived  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  first.  How  gladly  would  I  have 
informed  the  defenseless  prisoners  of  the  plot  that  was  shortly 
to  be  executed  against  them.  Had  the  Carthage  Greys  been 
loyal  members  of  the  militia  of  the  country,  I  could  have 
effected  their  escape ;  but  it  was  impossible. 

Soon  the  mob  made  their  appearance.  They  advanced  in 
single  file  along  the  fence,  as  they  had  been  instructed.  When 
they  had  gained  about  half  the  distance  of  the  fence,  the  signal 
guns  were  fired. 

Soon  the  jail  was  sun-ounded  by  the  mob.  They  had  blacked 
themselves  with  wet  powder,  while  they  were  in  the  woods, 
which  gave  them  the  horrible  appearance  of  demons.  The 
most  of  them  had  on  blue  hunting-shirts,  with  fringe  around 
the  edges. 

The  Carthage  Greys  advanced  within  about  eight  rods  of  the 
jail  where  they  halted,  in  plain  view  of  the  whole  transaction, 
until  the  deed  was  executed.  They  occupied  a  place  in  an 
eastern  direction  from  the  jail.  When  they  halted,  their  com- 
mander, Capt.  Smith,  marched  in  front  of  the  mob,  said  "How 
do  you  do,  gentlemen?"'  and  passed  through  their  ranks,  taking 
a  station  in  their  rear. 

Col.  Williams  shouted  out,  "Rush  in!— there's  no  danger 
boys — all  is  right ! ' ' 

A  sham  rencounter  ensued  between  them  and  the  guard. 
They  clinched  each  other,  and  the  mob  threw  some  of  them 
upon  the  ground.     A  few  guns  were  fired  in  the  air. 

A  rush  was  made  in  the  door,  at  the  south  part  of  the  build- 
ing. This  let  them  into  a  hall,  or  entry,  from  which  they 
ascended  a  flight  of  stairs,  at  the  head  of  which,  turning  to 
the  right,  they  reached  the  door  that  led  into  the  prisoners' 
room. 

To  give  a  relation  of  some  of  the  particular  circumstances 
that  transpired  in  the  jail,  I  am  compelled  to  depend,  princi- 
pally, upon  the  statements  of  others.  My  sources  of  informa- 
tion, upon  these  points,  however,  are  of  such  a  nature  that  the 
reader  can  regard  them  as  strictly  correct. 


78  THE  MARTYRS. 

The  spirits  of  the  prisoners  had  been  rather  depressed  all  the 
afternoon.  Why  it  was  so  the\^  knew  not.  They  knew  the 
faith  of  the  governor,  and  tlie  State  of  Illinois,  was  pledged  for 
their  protection.  Elder  John  Taylor  had  been  singing  a  hymn, 
found  on  the  2r)4th  page  of  the  English  edition  of  the  Latter- 
dav  Saints'  Hymn  13ook,  entitled,  "A  Poor  Wayfaring  Man  of 
Grief" 

This  seemed  rather  apphcable  to  their  situation ;  it  had  a 
selemnity  in  it  that  tranqualized  their  minds,  and  at  the 
request  of  Hyrum  Smith,  it  was  sung  over  again. 

From  this  pleasant  communion,  they  were  aroused  by  curses, 
threats,  and  the  heavy  and  fierce  rush  of  the  mob  up  the 
stairs. 

Hyrum  stood  near  the  center  of  the  room,  in  front  of  the 
door.  The  mob  fired  a  ball  through  the  pannel  of  the  door, 
which  entered  Hyrum' s  head,  at  the  left  side  of  his  nose.  He 
fell  upon  his  back,  with  his  head  one  or  two  feet  from  the 
north  east  corner  of  the  room,  exclaiming,  as  he  fell,  '  'I  am  a 
dead  man  !"  In  all,  four  balls  entered  his  body.  One  ball  (it 
must  have  been  fired  through  the  window,  from  the  outside) 
passed  through  his  body  with  such  force — entering  his  back — 
that  it  completely  broke  to  pieces  a  wateh  which  he  wore  in  his 
vest  pocket. 

His  death  was  sudden  and  without  pain.  Thus  fell  Hyrum 
Smith,  the  Patriarch  of  the  Church  of  God,  a  martjT  for  his 
holy  religion!  In  that  brief  moment  was  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  deprived  of  the  services  of  as  good  a  man  as 
ever  had  a  name  in  its  history. 

A  shower  of  balls  were  poured  through  all  parts  of  the 
room,  many  of  which  lodged  in  the  ceiling,  just  above  the 
head  of  the  fallen  man. 

A  few  hours  previous  to  this,  a  friend  to  General  Joseph 
Smith,  put  in  his  possession  a  revolving  pistol  with  six  cham- 
bers, usually  called  a  "pepper-box."  With  this  in  his  hand,  he 
took  a  position  by  the  wall  at  the  left  of  the  door. 

Joseph  reached  his  pistol  through  the  door,  which  was 
pushed  a  little  ajar,  and  fired  three  of  the  barrels;  the  rest 
missed  fire.  He  wounded  three  of  the  assailants — two  mortally — 
one  of  whom,  as  he  rushed  down  out  of  the  door,  was  asked  if 
he  was  badly  hurt.      He  replied,  "Yes;    my  arm  is  shot  all  to 

Sieces  by  Old  Joe;    but  I  don't  care,  I've  got  reveng;  I  shot 
[yrum ! ' ' 

Elder  Taylor  took  a  position  beside  the  door,  with  Elder 
Richards,  and  parried  off"  their  muskets  with  walking  sticks, 
as  they  were  firing. 

What  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  General  Smith,  at 
this  critical  juncture!  He  had  fired  all  of  the  barrels  of  his 
pistol  that  would  discharge;     he    had    therefoi'e    no  further 


THE^HORRIBLE  TRAGEDY.  79 

means  of  defense.  His  brother,  whose  life  he  had  been  so 
anxious  to  preserve,  lay  a  corpse  before  him,  and  his  assailants 
were  filling  the  door  with  muskets  and  firing  showers  of  lead 
into  the  room. 

Elder  Taylor  continued  parrying  their  guns,  until  they  had 
got  them  about  half  the  length  into  the  room,  when  he  found 
resistance  vain  and  attempted  to  jump  out  of  the  window.  Just 
then  a  ball  from  within  struck  him  on  the  left  thigh ;  hitting  the 
bone,  it  glanced  through  to  within  half  an  inch  of  the  other 
side.  He  fell  on  the  window-sill  and  expected  he  would  fall 
out,  when  a  ball  from  without  struck  his  watch,  which  he 
carried  in  his  vest  pocket,  and  threw  him  back  into  the  room. 
He  was  hit  by  two  more  balls ;  one  injuring  his  left  wrist  con- 
siderably, and  the  other  entering  at  the  side  of  the  bone,  just 
below  the  left  knee.  He  fell  into  the  room,  and  rolled  under  a 
bed  that  stood  at  the  right  of  the  window,  in  the  south-east 
corner  of  the  room.  While  under  the  bed,  he  was  fired  at 
several  times,  and  was  struck  by  one  ball  which  tore  the  flesh 
on  his  left  hip  in  a  shocking  manner,  throwing  large  quantities 
of  blood  upon  the  wall  and  floor.  These  wounds  proved  very 
severe  and  painful,  but  he  sufl"ered  without  a  murmur,  rejoic- 
ing that  he  had  the  satisfaction  to  mingle  his  blood  with  that 
of  the  Prophets,  and  be  with  them  in  the  last  moments  of 
their  earthly  existence.  His  blood,  with  theirs,  can  cry  to 
heaven  for  vengeance  on  those  who  have  shed  the  blood  of 
innocence  and  slain  the  servants  of  the  living  Grod  in  all  ages 
of  the  world.  This  seemed  a  source  of  high  gratification,  and 
he  endured  his  severe  sufterings  without  a  single  complaint, 
being  perfectly  resigned  to  the  providence  of  Grod. 

Elder  Richards  was  still  contending  with  the  assailants,  at  the 
door,  when  General  Smith,  seeing  there  was  no  safety  in  the 
room,  and  probably  thinking  it  might  save  the  lives  of  others 
if  he  could  escape  from  the  room,  turned  calmly  from  the 
door,  dropped  his  pistol  upon  the  floor,  sa.ying,  '"There, 
defend  yourselves  as  well  as  you  can. ' ' 

He  sprang  into  the  window ;  but  just  as  he  was  preparing 
to  descend,  he  saw  such  an  array  of  bayonets  below,  that  he 
caught  by  the  window  casing,  where  he  hung  by  his  hands  and 
feet,  with  his  head  to  the  north,  feet  to  the  south,  and  his 
body  swinging  downwards.  He  hung  in  that  position  three  or 
four  minutes,  during  which  time  he  exclaimed,  two  or  three 
times,  ''0,  Lord,  iviy  God!!!"  and  fellto  the  ground.  While 
he  was  hanging  in  that  position.  Col.  Williams  hallooed,  "Shoot 
him!  G — dd— nhim!  shoot  the  dam'd  rascal!"  However, 
none  fired  at  him. 

He  seemed  to  fall  easy.  He  struck  partly  on  his  right  shoul- 
der and  back,  his  neck  and  head  reaching  the  ground  a  little 
before  his  feet.     He  rolled  instantly  on  his  face.     From  this 


80  THE  MARTYRS. 

position  he  was  taken  by  a  young  man,  who  sprang-  to  him 
from  tlie  other  side  of  the  fence,  who  held  a  pewter  fife  in  his 
hand,  was  barefoot  and  bare-headed,  having  on  no  coat,  with 
his  pants  rolled  above  his  knees,  and  shirt-sleeves  above  his 
elbows.  He  set  President  Smith  against  the  south  side  of  the 
well-curb,  that  was  situated  a  few  feet  from  the  jail.  While 
doing  this,  the  savage  muttered  aloud,  ''This  is  Old  Jo;  I  know 
him.  I  know  you.  Old  Jo.  Damn  you ;  you  are  the  man  thtxt 
had  my  daddy  shot,"  The  object  he  had  in  talking  in  this 
way,  I  supposed  to  be  this:  He  wished  to  have  President 
Smith  and  the  people  in  general,  believe  he  was  the  son  of 
Governor  Boggs,  which  would  lead  to  the  opinion  that  it  was 
the  Missourians  who  had  come  over  and  committed  the  murder. 
This  was  the  report  that  they  soon  caused  to  be  circulated;  but 
this  was  too  palpable  an  absurdity  to  be  credited. 

After  President  Smith  had  fallen,  I  saw  Elder  WiMard  Rich- 
ards come  to  the  window  and  look  out  upon  the  horrid  scene 
that  spread  itself  below  him. 

I  could  not  help  noticing  the  striking  contrast  in  the  coun- 
tenance of  President  Smith  and  the  horrid,  demon-like 
appearance  of  his  murderers.  The  former  was  calm  and  tran- 
quil, while  the  mob  were  filled  with  excitement  and  agitation. 
President  Smith's  exit  from  the  room  had  the  teiidency  to 
cause  those  who  were  firing  into  the  room  to  abandon  it  and 
rush  to  the  outside.  This  gave  an  opportunity  for  Elder  Rich- 
ards to  convey  Elder  Taylor  into  the  cell,  which  he  did,  and 
covered  him  with  a  bed,  thinking  he  might  there  be  secure  if 
the  mob  should  make  another  rush  into  the  jail.  While  they 
were  in  the  cell,  some  of  the  mob  again  entered  the  room  ;  but 
finding  it  deserted  by  all  but  Hyrum  Smith,  they  left  the  jail. 
(See  engraving. ) 

When  President  Smith  had  been  set  against  the  curb,  and 
began  to  recover,  from  the  effects  of  the  fall,  Col.  Williams 
ordered  four  men  to  shoot  him.  Accordingly,  four  men  took  an 
eastern  direction,  about  eight  feet  from  the  curb.  Col.  Williams 
standing  partly  at  their  rear,  and  made  ready  to  execute  the 
order.  While  they  were  making  preparations,  and  the  muskets 
were  raised  to  their  faces.  President  Smith's  eyes  rested  upon 
them  with  a  calm  and  quiet  resignation.  He  betra.yed  no  agi- 
tated feelings  and  the  expression  upon  his  countenance  seemed 
to  betoken  his  inly  prayer  to  be.  "O,  Father,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do. " 

'  'The  fire  was  simultaneous.  A  slight  cringe  of  the  body  was 
all  the  indication  of  pain  that  he  betrayed  when  the  balls  struck 
him.  He  fell  upon  his  fice.  One  ball  then  entered  the  back 
part  of  his  body.  This  is  the  ball  that  many  people  have  sup- 
posed struck  him  about  the  time  he  was  in  the  window.     Rut 


AN   AITEMPT  TO    BKllEAl)  JOSEPH.  XI 

this  is  a  mistake.     I  was  close  by  him,  and  T  know  he  was  not 
hit  with  a  ball,  nntil  after  he  was  seated  bj-  the  well-curb. 

His  death  was  instantaneous  and  tranquil.  He  betraj^ed  no 
appearance  of  pain.  His  noble  form  exhibited  all  its  powers  of 
manly  strength  and  healthful  agility,  yet  not  a  muscle  seemed 
to  move  with  pain,  and  there  was  no  distortion  of  his  features. 
His  death  was  peaceful  as  the  flilling  to  sleep  of  an  inftintr— no 
cloud  of  contending  ])assion  gathered  upon  his  brow,  and  no 
malediction  trembled  on  his  lip.  The  reward  of  a  righteous 
man  seemed  hovering  over  him,  and  his  breath  ceased  \vith  as 
much  ease  and  gentleness,  as  if  eternity  was  exerting  an  influence 
in  his  behalf  and  taking  his  spirit  home  to  a  world  of  "liberty, 
light  and  life. ' ' 

The  ruffian,  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  who  set  him  against 
the  ^yell-curb,  now  secured  a  bowie  knife  for  the  purpose  of 
severing  his  head  from  his  body.  He  raised  the  knife  and  was 
in  the  attitude  of  striking,  when  a  light,  so  sudden  and  power- 
ful,_  burst  from  the  heavens  upon  the  bloody  scene,  (passing  its 
vivid  chain  between  Joseph  and  his  murderers, )  that  they  were 
struck  with  terrified  awe  and  filled  with  consternation.  This 
light,  in  its  appearance  and  potency,  baffles  all  powers  of  de- 
scription. The  arm  of  the  ruffian,  that  held  the  knife,  fell  pow- 
erless ;  the  muskets  of  the  four,  who  fired,  fell  to  the  ground, 
and  they  all  stood  like  marble  statues,  not  having  power  to 
move  a  single  limb  of  their  bodies. 

By  this  time  most  of  the  men  had  fled  in  great  disorder.  I 
never  saw  so  frightened  a  set  of  men  before.  Col.  Williams 
saw  the  light  and  was  also  badly  frightened ;  but  he  did  not 
entirely  lose  the  use  of  his  limbs  or  speech.  Seeing  the  con- 
dition of  these  men,  he  hallooed  to  some  who  had  just  com- 
menced to  retreat,  for  God's  sake  to  come  and  carry  off  these 
men.  They  came  back  and  carried  them  by  main  strength  towards 
the  baggage  wagons.  They  seemed  as  helpless  as  if  they  were 
dead. 

The  storm  had  passed  away.  The  cowardly  demons  had  fled, 
and  I  stood  a  spectator,  gazing  on  the  scene.  There  lay  Joseph 
Smith,  the  martyred  leader  of  thousands  who  revered  him. 
The  man  who  had  passed  like  a  magic  spirit  through  society, 
and  in  a  career  of  a  few  years,  had  lit  up  the  world  with  won- 
der, astonishment  and  admiration,  was  left  dead  upon  the 
ground!  He  lay  full  low;  yet,  in  my  contemplations,  I 
regarded  him  as  the  triumphant  conqueror  left  master  of  the 
bloodj'  field.  Eighty-four  men,  (fiends,)  armed  with  United 
States'  muskets  and  other  weapons,  had  the  unparalleled  hero- 
ism to  murder  him  while  a  prisoner;  (!!)  while  he  had  the 
nerve  and  presence  of  mind  to  contend  with  such  unequal  force, 
and  with  a  pocket  pistol  kill  and  wound  as  many  as  they. 
In  him  was  the  spirit  of  dauntless  bravery  exemplified. 


82  THE  MARTYRS. 

But  a  few  days  before  his  noble  figure  rode  at  the  head  of  a 
mighty  legion,  numbering  five  thousand  brave  hearts  and  ten 
thousand  strong  arms.  His  i>resence  gave  them  courage,  his 
words  animated  their  hearts  and  nerved  their  limbs ;  and  the 
large  heart  that  beat  within  his  manly  breast,  entwined  around 
it  their  love  and  affection,  by  the  generosity  and  nobility  of  its 
principles. 

In  this  situation  he  had  the  power  to  defend  himself  How 
insignificant  was  the  power  of  this  contemptible  mob,  in  com- 
parison with  this  force,  that  could  have  borne  him  off  trium- 
phant, in  defiance  of  all  their  resistance !  From  this  position 
of  power  he  descended — threw  down  the  sword  that  could  have 
protected  him  from  the  menace  of  mobs — and  trusted  himself 
to  the  honor  and  fidelity  of  men  and  the  boasted  majesty  of 
American  jurisprudence ! 

0,  man !  how  worthless  are  your  promises !  how  perfidious 
are  your  ways !  He  that  would  have  died  for  the  maintenance 
of  his  honor,  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  broken  faith  of  other  men  ! 

The  murder  took  place  at  fifteen  minutes  past  five  o'clock, 
p.  m.,  June  27,  1844. 

I  now  determined  to  go  to  my  home.  As  I  passed  through 
the  streets  of  Carthage,  I  found  that  the  feeling  of  consterna- 
tion had  seized  upon  the  hearts  of  its  citizens  and  spread 
throughout  its  vicinity.  The  inhabitants,  men  and  women, 
were  running  in  ever>^  direction  through  the  streets ;  some  %- 
ing  in  wagons,  and  others  on  foot,  to  the  country,  and  others 
preparing  for  flight.  They  entertained  no  other  idea  but  that  the 
•'Mormons"  would  be  upon  them  and  desolate  their  neighbor- 
hoods, from  one  extremity  of  the  County  to  the  other.  "  They 
knew  they  had  committed  a  deed  that  would  have  justified 
them  in  taking  sunmiary  vengeance ;  they  felt  that  they 
deserved  it  and  their  conscience  told  them  they  might  expect  it. 
But  the  course  taken  by  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  so  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  this,  is  known  to  all.  I  cannot  believe  there  is 
another  people  on  earth,  who  could  have  remained  within  the 
boundary  of  a  city,  and  had  two  of  their  leading  citizens  mur- 
dered, under  the  same  circumstances,  without  breaking  over 
all  restraint  and  wreaking  vengeance  upon  the  lawless  rabble 
who  had  thus  tampered  with  their  reposed  confidence.  "A^en- 
geance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  repay." 

In  a  few  hours,  Carthage  was  desolate,  and  seemed  the  sight 
of  some  dilapidated  village,  whose  inhabitants  had  long  since 
mingled  their  dust  in  the  general  ruin.  I  might  have  imagined 
myself  among  the  relics  of  some  flillen  metropolis;  but 
the  emotions  of  my  bosom  were  already  too  keen  for  me  to 
court  the  reflections  of  loneliness,  and  I  hastened  from  the  scene 
to  calm  my  feelings  amid  the  consolations  of  home. 


A  DREAM.  83 

When  1  enjoyed  the  smiling  welcome  of  a  wife,  I  asked  my 
heart  if  aught  I  had  done  had  contributed  to  make  wives  wid- 
ows and  children  orphans.  A  conscience  void  of  offense  told 
me  I  was  guiltless.  Yet  I  was  restless  and  uneasy.  Through 
the  reflections  of  the  joyless  day  and  the  vigils  of  the  sleepless 
night,  the  quick  rush  of  the  demons  upon  the  jail — the  roar  of 
musketry— Joseph  tailing  from  the  window^— his  countenance 
calm,  and  his  bosom  soothed  in  the  quiet  hush  of  oblivion— the 
grim  visages  of  the  mob,  damnable  as  the  spirits  of  hell— and 
the  mysterious  light,  that  came  like  a  paralytic  shock  over  the 
murderers— passed  in  regular  succession  through  my  mind,  and 
rest  and  sleep,  withheld  from  me  their  necessary  comforts. 
Time  passed  in  this  way  until  the  third  night  after  the  mur- 
der, when  a  pleasant  dream  brought  back  that  contentment 
and  quietude  that  I  was  wont  to  enjoy.  This  is  a  relation  of  my 
dream : 

Joseph  stood  before  me.  A  smile  of  approbation  was  upon 
his  cheek  and  his  eyes  rested  upon  me  pleasantly,  beaming  with 
the  bright  warm  tokens  of  friendship.  It  was  then  manifested 
to  me  that  all  I  had  done  was  approved  of  him  and  God.  He 
took  me  up  into  a  high  mountain.  While  toiling  up  its  side, 
I  would  frequently  slip  back  and  occasionally  sink  my  feet  into 
its  side,  which  was  rendered  soft  by  the  dampness  of  the  soil. 
Whenever  this  occurred,  Joseph  would  reach  out  his  hand  and 
help  me  along.  In  this  way,  we  finally  reached  the  summit, 
which  presented  a  broad  scope  of  table  land.  Here  I  was 
seated.  Joseph  gave  me  a  glass  of  clear  cold  water.  He  then 
placed  his  hands  upon  my  head,  prayed  to  the  Lord,  blessed 
me  and  departed. 

This  dream  had  an  effect  upon  my  mind  that  was  irresistible 
and  determined  my  future  course.  I  resolved  to  do  all  in  my 
power  for  the  vindication  of  innocence  and  the  punishment  of 
crime.  In  determining  upon  this  course,  I  saw  no  prospect 
before  me  but  to  have  my  life  hunted  by  night  and  by  day. 
It  was  plunging  my  family  into  a  life  of  anxiety  and  depriva-^ 
tion ;  yet  I  was  determined  to  pass  through  it  all,  regardless  of 
consequences.  I  knew  what  to  expect  if  I  turned  informer,  for 
while  we  were  on  our  way  from  the  crossing  of  the  railroad  to 
Carthage,  one  of  the  miscreants  took  pains,  very  insinuatingly, 
to  inform  me  that  if  any  person  informed  on  them  he  would 
be  put  out  of  the  way. 

The  next  morning  I  went  to  see  a  friend  of  mine,  and  told 
him  all  I  had  witnessed.  He  advised  me  to  go  immediately  to 
the  leading  men  of  Nauvoo.  I  did  so,  taking  from  him  letters 
of  introduction.  On  presenting  my  letter  to  Elder  Richards, 
and  informing  him  of  the  nature  of  my  business,  he  informed 
me  that  my  knowledge  would  be  of  no  particular  use  to  them, 
as  they  should  wait  for  the  proper  oflicers  of  the  State  to  move^ 


84  THE  MARTYRS. 

forward  in  tlie  matter.  However,  I  deemed  it  compatible  with 
duty  to  make  affidavit  of  the  facts,  which  I  did  by  going  before 
Esquire  Johnson. 

From  there,  I  went  to  Quincy,  where  I  met  with  Governor 
Ford.  He  thanked  me  for  the  information  I  gave  him,  and 
said  my  testimony  would  be  required,  as  measures  would  be 
adopted  to  bring  the  murderers  to  justice. 

I  now  desired  to  return  home ;  but  knowing  that  my  life 
would  not  be  safe  in  Hancock  County,  I  concluded  to  send  for 
my  family  and  remain  in  Quincy. 

The  mob  party,  learning  that  I  was  a  witness  against  them, 
resorted  to  many  stratagems  to  ^et  me  to  leave  the  country. 
Among  these,  there  was  one  that  I  wish  to  mention.  One  day 
I  was  met  by  a  coui)le  of  men  who  told  me  if  I  would  leave  the 
country,  and  not  appear  against  the  murderers,  they  would  pay 
me  twenty-five  hundred  dollars.  I,  of  course,  refused.  They 
shook  the  money  at  me,  no  doubt,  thinking  to  tempt  me  and 
make  me  forget  my  duty.  Scorning  the  acceptance  of  their 
accursed  gold,  I  told  them  I  had  not  time  to  talk  with  them, 
and,  turning  on  my  heel,  walked  away.  I  mention  this  to  show 
the  black-liearted  villainy  of  the  murderers  that  composed  the 
society  of  Warsaw  and  Carthage.  It  is  a  f.ict  that  a  majority 
of  the  inhabitants  of  each  of  these  places,  were  either 
engaged  in  the  murder,  or  sanctioned  it  in  their  hearts  or  by 
their  actions.  When  have  they  lifted  their  voices  and  pro- 
tested against  any  participation  in  the  damnable  deed ?  "Wnen 
have  they  declared  that  their  garments  are  pure  from  the  blood 
that  sticks,  like  a  cui  se,  to  the  walls  and  floor  of  their  County 
jail?  When  have  they  ever  "crooked  a  finger''  towcirds  the 
commitment  of  those  devils  whose  bloody  act  should  have 
stamped  them  with  eternal  infamy  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  of 
these  places  ?  Is  there  not  found  upon  them  a  sprinkling  of 
that  blood,  which  shall  be  like  a  consuming  moth  upon 
them  ? 

I  now  \nelded  obedience  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
truth  of  which  I  had  seen  sealed  by  the  blood  of  the  Prophets, 
who  had  been  the  honored  instruments  made  use  of  in  the 
hands  of  (Jod,  of  revealing  it  in  the  last  days  to  the  children 
of  men.  I  here  bear  record  of  its  truth,  and  testify  that  I 
verily  know  Joseph  Smith  was  a  servant  of  the  living  God. 
The  evidence  I  received  at  his  martjTdom,  in  seeing  the 
heavens  exert  a  power  for  the  protection  of  his  body,  is,  to  me, 
plain  and  irresistible. 

It  is  well  known  that  there  was  a  large  reward  offered,  by 
the  ^Mi^sounans  for  the  head  of  General  Smith,  and  probably 
it  was  to  get  this  reward  that  the  ruffian  was  about  to  sever  his 
head  from  his  body.  But  although  God  suffered  them  to  take 
his  life,  He  would  not  suffer  them  to  mangle  his  body  and 


EFFORT  TO   BRING  THE  MOBBERS  TO   .JUSTICE.  85 

effect  this  wicked  purpose.      Hence  this  exhibition  of   His 
power. 

The  2Tth  of  September  was  the  time  set  by  the  people  of 
Hancock  to  carry  into  execution  the  much  talkedof  wolf  hunt.* 
Satisfxctory  information  coming  to  the  ears  of  the  governor, 
that  the  design  was  to  hunt  something  besides  prairie  wolves, 
and  being  warned  by  the  transactions  of  the  2Tth  of  June,  he 
ordered  out  a  sufficient  force  of  the  militia  of  the  State,  and 
marched,  in  person,  to  the  seat  of  contemplated  aggression. 
His  appearance  there  greatly  chagrined  the  mobocrats  of  the 
County,  who  had  not  sufficiently  glutted  themselves  with 
innocent  blood.  Thus  a  termination  was  put  to  further  general 
hostilities,  for  a  time  at  least.  From  there  he  marched  to 
Quincy,  where  I  had  another  interview  with  him.  He  declared 
his  determination  to  have  justice  done,  and  charged  me  in  the 
name  of  Grod  not  to  leave  the  State. 

Previous  to  the  session  of  the  circuit  court  at  Carthage,  I 
was  subpoenaed  to  appear  on  behalf  of  the  State.  When  the 
time  arrived,  I  proceeded  about  twenty-two  miles  alone.  I 
deemed  it  unsafe  to  go  farther  without  a  guard,  and  seventeen 
of  my  friends  volunteered  to  accompany  me  to  Nauvoo.  I 
had  left  Mr.  Fellows',  four  miles  west  of  Carthage,  a  short 
time,  when  eleven  men,  all  armed,  rode  up  in  a  wagon  and 
halted  a  short  distance  from  Mr.  Fellows'  house.  They  passed, 
four  at  a  time,  backwards  and  forwards  before  the  door,  look- 
ing into  the  door  and  windows  as  they  passed  along.  One  or 
two  gentlemen  went  out  and  interrogated  them  as  to  their 
business  ;  but  no  satisfactory  answer  could  be  extorted.  They 
kept  things  ver>^  sly;  yet  their  purpose  has  been  made  known 
to  me.  They  did  not  find  the  person  for  whose  blood  they 
thirsted.     I  arrived  in  safety  at  Nauvoo. 

The  next  night  I  was  awakened  by  the  sheriff.  He 
had  come  after  me,  deeming  it  unsafe  for  me  to  travel 
in  the  daytime.  We  amved  in  Carthage  early  in 
the  morning,  and  about  nine  o'clock  I  was  called  into  the 
grand  jury  room.  My  appearance  in  Carthage  created  con- 
siderable sensation  in  the  breasts  of  mobbers ;  but  I  went  in 
regardless  of  every  show  of  hostility.  While  giving  in  my 
testimony,  several  of  the  mob  armed  themselves  and  left  the 
town,  no  doubt  for  the  purpose  of  waylaying  me,  expecting 
I  would  return  after  dark.  I  thought  it  most  prudent  to 
leave  immediately,  which  I  did,  and  succeeded  in  arriving  in 
safety  again  at  Nauvoo. 

Nine  persons  were  indicted  by  the  grand  jury,  for  the 
murder,   to  wit:      Honorable   (?)   Jacob  C.   Davis,    Colonel 


* On  the  pretense  of  engaging  in  a  general  wolf-hunt,  preparations  were 

raadeby  the  mobocrats  to  raid  upon  the  settlements  of  the  Saints  and  massacre 
the  inhabitants. 


86  THE  MARTTRS. 

Levi  AVilliams,  Thomas  C.  Sharp,  WilHam  N.  (j rover,  Mark 
Aldrich,  WilHam   A^oris,  (loliher,  Allen  and  Wills. 

What  has  been  the  course  pursued  with  these  persons? 
Have  they  been  confined  in  jail,  as  criminals  commonly  are 
after  indictment?  No.  Jacob  C.  Davis  has  since  filled  his 
seat  in  the  senate  of  Illinois';  Thomas  C.  Sharp  has  since 
been  upheld  and  patronized  as  an  editor;  and  the  remainder 
of  them  have  enjoyed  all  the  privileges  of  citizens  who  never 
committed  crime ! 

Not  one  solitary  person  has  ever  seen  the  inside  wall  of  a 
jail  for  that  murder,  with  the  exception  of  John  C.  Elliot, 
who  was  arrested  and  examined  in  Nauvoo,  and  committed  for 
trial  before  the  circuit  court ;  and  he  remained  in  jail  only 
a  very  short  time. 

People  talk  about  "Mormon"  thieves,  when  they  have 
eiiihty-four  beings,  fiends ,  in  human  shape,  running  at  large  in 
their  community,  who  were  actually  engaged  in  murder !  The 
people  of  Illinois  talk  about  "Mormon"  usurpation,  and 
treasonable  designs  in  their  leaders,  and  their  senate  chamber 
echoing  with  the  denunciations  of  a  fiend  yet  dripping  with 
the  warm  blood  of  innocence !  The  legislature  and  governor 
rei)eal  the  Nauvoo  City  charter,  for  some  pretended  stretch  of 
municipal  ]iower,  and  they  welcome  to  their  councils  a  being 
with  an  indictment  hanging  over  his  head  for  the  highest  crime 
known  to  the  laws!  They  talk  about  the  "Mormon"  abuse 
of  the  haheofi  corpitfi,  while  they  pass  special  decrees  that  no 
member  shall  be  subject  to  any  process,  whether  civil  or  crimi- 
nal, during  the  session  of  the  senate,  for  the  special  benefit  of 
a  murderer,  thereby  releasing  him  fron)  the  custody  of  the 
sheriff,  and  screening  him  from  justice!  They  prate  about 
"31ormon"  disloyalty,  while  the  ])lighted  faith  of  the  State  is 
broken,  and  her  honor  trampled  in  the  dust! 

Crentle  reader,  I  have  given  as  faithful  a  narrative  as  I 
possibly  could.  I  have  related  scenes  through  W'hich  I  have 
passed  myself — scenes  of  danger,  excitement  and  wickedness.^ 
M\'  life  has  been  hunted  by  day  and  by  night ;  the  quietude  of 
my  family  has  been  ))roken  up,  and  the  villains  are  still  deter- 
mined to  take  my  life.  I  have  thus  far  eluded  them ;  but  I 
know  not  when  my  life  may  be  taken  as  a  sacrifice,  to  atone  for 
telling  the  truth  in  a  free  country.  But  I  am  at  the  defiance 
of  devils  and  emissaries  of  hell,  and  will  not  shrink  from  duty, 
or  cower  under  their  menaces. 


web's  letter.  87 


CHAPTER  IX. 

LETTER  FROM  THE  MAN  WHO  ATTEMPTED  TO  CUT  JOSEPH 
smith's  head  off— CORROBORATIVE  OF  THE  STATEMENT 
OF    DANIELS. 

NOTHINGr  is  here  known  of  the  writer  of  the  following  state- 
ment beyond  what  the  article  itself  contains.  It  is  inter- 
esting in  connection  with  Daniels'  narrative  on  account  of  the 
source  from  which  it  emanates,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
two  eye-witnesses  to  the  murder  corroborate  each  other  in  all 
except  a  few  unimportant  particulars.  The  general  thread 
of  their  statements  harmonize.  He  says  nothing  about  the 
flash  of  hght,  which  Daniels  testifies  of,  nor  does  he  mention 
his  attempt  to  cut  the  Prophet's  head  oif  after  he  had  been 
shot,  but  as  an  admission  of  the  latter  fact  would  only  crimin- 
ate himself,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  suppressed  that 
part  of  the  narrative. 

Web's  article  seems  to  have  been  a  communication  addressed 
to  the  editor  of  some  paper  published  in  the  congressional  dis- 
trict where  Thos.  C.  Sharp  was  a  candidate  for  office,  and 
was  evidently  intended  to  damage  his  prospects  for  election. 
It  is  stated  that  this  correspondence  was  not  published,  but 
remained  in  the  office  until  a  change  of  owners  was  effected. 
The  purchaser  found  the  letter  among  the  rejected  papers, 
and  handed  it  to  a  friend  to  look  at,  with  permission  to  keep 
it  over  night.  The  borrower  happened  to  be  friendly  dis- 
posed towards  the  "Mormon"  people  and  allowed  Elders 
McEwen  and  Wareham  to  take  a  copy  of  it,  a  transcript  of 
which  has  been  furnished  for  publication  by  Brother  C.  C.  A. 
Christensen,  as  follows : 

Carthage,  October  14,  1844. 
Mr.  Editor: 

Sir — ^As  your  paper  has  quite  a  circulation  in  this  congres- 
sional district,  I  hope  you  will  find  room  in  your  pa])er  for 


SS  THE   >[ARTYRS. 

these  lilies.  ^ly  reiison  for  writing  is  to  let  the  citizens  of  tliis 
and  the  adjoining  Counties  know  who  they  are  voting  for  when 
they  are  voting  for  Thos.  Sharp,  of  Warsaw.  I  have  been  attend- 
ing court  here  for  several  daj's  past,  and  find  that  there  are 
some  who  calculate  to  cast  their  votes  for  Sharp.  I  will  now 
give  my  reasons  for  being  against  Sharp : 

I  came  from  Iowa  to  Warsaw,  Illinois,  three  weeks  before 
the  murder  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith.  I  was  quite  a  young 
man,  not  over  twenty  years  old,  and  had  not  much  experience 
in  life.  Sharp,  and  some  others,  persuaded  me  to  call  my  name 
Boggs,  a  son  of  Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri.  I  agreed  to  do 
so,  and  then  Sharp  circulated  all  kinds  of  mean  tales  about  the 
Mormons.  He  often  said,  in  my  presence,  that  there  was  a 
"young  man  that  Jo  Smith  had  his  father  shot,"  which  had  a 
great  influence  to  raise  the  prejudices  of  the  people  against  the 
Mormons.  He  also  persuaded  me  to  join  the  company  that 
was  gathering  there  to  meet  the  governor's  troops  at  Carthage, 
which  I  did.  The  time  came  when  we  had  to  march  to  Car- 
thage. We  marched  about  six  or  eight  miles  and  met  a  man 
with  orders  from  the  governor,  that  we  were  not  wanted  and  to 
return  to  our  homes.  This  word  enraged  Capt.  Sharp,  as  he 
was  called,  very  much.  He  said  all  might  go  home  that  wanted 
to ;  but  he  would  go  to  Carthage,  if  he  had  to  go  alone.  He 
said  Smith  ought  to  be  killed,  and  if  he  could  raise  men,  it 
should  be  done  before  night ;  he  was  in  jail,  and  now  was  the 
time.  He  then  asked  how  many  of  those  in  the  company 
would  go  with  him  to  Carthage  to  commit  this  disgraceful 
deed.  Clerk  Burs,  Snar  Redman  and  Hoakes  Middleton  were 
the  first  to  join  Sharp.  He  then  asked  if  the  rest  were  all  cow- 
ards. At  that,  about  fifty  or  sixty  went  over  to  him,  and 
myself  with  the  crowd.  Jack  Davis  said  he  was  no  coward, 
but  he  should  not  go  in  sucih  a  company,  in  a  thing  of  that  kind. 
He  and  several  others  went  back.  We  then  organized  and 
moved  for  Carthage.  We  moved  to  a  point  of  timber,  west  of 
Carthage,  and  waited  for  Williams  to  return,  as  he  had  gone 
on  to  see  if  there  were  any  there  who  would  oppose  us.  When 
we  came  to  the  timber,  a  man  came  to  us  on  a  large,  white 
horse;  he  brought  with  him  a  note  to  Sharj),  stating  that  he 
woiiiil  imt  meet  with  ;iny  opposition.     This  jiaper  was  signed 


web's  letter.  89 

by  W.  A.  Smith,  the  man  that  had  charge  of  the  company 
that  the  .governor  had  left  at  Carthage  to  protect  the  Smiths 
until  the  day  of  their  trial 

Sharp  sent  this  man  back,  to  learn  if  the  guard  at  the  jail 
would  oppose  him.  The  captain  of  the  guard  sent  him  a  note, 
stating  that  their  guns  were  all  loaded  with  blank  cartridges, 
and  to  fear  no  danger.     This  paper  was  signed  R  Worrell. 

We  then  marched  to  the  jail,  overrun  the  guard  and  rushed 
in  the  jail.  The  door  of  the  room  was  closed  by  the  Smiths  so 
hard  that  we  could  not  enter.  One  of  our  men  shot  through 
the  door  and  a  man  fell  back  on  the  floor,  I  supposed  dead,  as 
he  never  made  any  attempt  to  rise.  The  door  flew  open ;  I 
saw  two  men  in  the  room.  We  shot  at  them  several  times ;  at 
length  one  of  them  fell  on  the  floor ;  the  other  jumped  out  of 
the  window.  I  ran  down  the  stairs  to  see  where  he  was.  When 
I  got  to  him  he  was  tr>ang  to  get  up.  He  appeared  stunned 
bythe  fall.  I  struck  him  in  the  face  and  said :  '  'Old  Jo,  damn 
you,  where  are  you  now!"  I  then  set  him  up  against  the 
well-curb  and  went  away  from  him. 

Hoake  and  some  other  person  shot  him;  whether  it  was 
Sharp,  or  not,  T  never  could  exactly  learn ;  but  I  presume  it 
was,  as  his  gun  was  empty.  We  then  left  the  jail.  When  we 
got  a  few  rods  from  the  jail.  Sharp  ordered  all  the  guns  loaded 
that  were  empty  and  he  loaded  his. 

I  never  can  forget  the  frightened  family  that  was  in  the  jail. 
To  think  that  a  set  of  men  would  go  in  a  house  where  there 
were  two  women  and  several  little  helpless  children  and  commit 
the  willful  murder !  It  is  too  bad  to  think  of  it,  and  I  wish  I 
could  never  think  of  it. 

Clerk  said,  before  we  got  to  the  jail,  he  wished  he  could  let 
the  jailor  know  what  they  were  going  to  do.  Sharp  said  they 
were  Jack-Mormons,  and  it  made  no  difterence. 

I  was  led  into  this  mean  act  by  Sharp  and  others,  at  War- 
saw. I  can  only  say,  I  wish  they  had  given  me  good  advice  in 
place  of  that  they  gave,  as  it  has  caused  me  to  be  an  unhappy 
man  ever  since. 

I  here  mention,  when  I  went  to  Smith,  after  he  fell  out  of 
the  window,  I  dropped  a  pewter  fife  out  of  my  hand  and  left  it 
there.     It  belonged  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Phelps,  as  I 


90  THE  aLAHTYRS. 

understand  by  some  of  our  gang  (though  he  was  not  one  of 
our  gang). 

While  we  were  in  the  timber,  the  man  on  the  white  horse 
brought  a  letter  to  Sharp,  how  to  manage  when  he  came  to 
the  jail,  and  spare  none  of  them,  as  they  were  all  four  Mor- 
mons. This  letter  was  signed  A.  Simpson.  I  could  give  the 
names  of  several  more,  but  I  will  not  do  it  at  present. 

I  will  give  my  true  name, 

Wm.  Web. 

j^^  B.— I  hope  you  will  not  fail  to  publish  these  lines.     I 

would  send  you  the  money  to  pay  for  the  job ;  but  I  am  a  good 

ways  from  home  and  my  means  limited.     I  live  in  the  south 

part  of  Missouri.  W.   Web. 

Testimonies:— \s^Q  certify  that  this  is  a  true  copy  of  the  orig- 
inal. Alex.  McEwen, 

James  Wareham. 


C  11  AFTER   X. 

ford's  flight  from  nauvoo  on  hearing  the  signal 
that  the  ^lurder  had  been  committed —prevents 
the  news  from  being  carried  to  nauyoo — his 
advice  to  the  people  of  carthage  to  flee— elder 

TAYLOR'S  RETURN  TO  NAUVOO— HIS  OWN  ACCOUNT  OF 
IT  — THE  governor's  ALARM  — JONAS  AND  FELLOWS 
SENT  BY  HIM  TO  NAUVOO— RESOLUTIONS  OF  CITY  COUN- 
CIL—PEOPLE OF  WARSAW  REFUSE  TO  SUPPORT  THE 
GOVERNOR — INSOLENT  LETTER  FROM   FORD. 

WHILE  Governor  Ford  was  delivering  his  unfeeling  and 
insulting  speech  at  Nauvoo,  the  cannon  was  fired  by  the 
mob  party,  midway  between  Carthage  and  Warsaw,  as  a  signal 
that  the  deed  of  murder  and  treachery  had  been  accomplished. 
The  report  was  heard  at  Nauvoo,  and,  although  not  understood 
by  the  citizens,  yet,  frouj  the  movements  of  the  governor  and 


ford's  flight  FROJr  NAUYOO.  91 

his  posse,  those  who  noticed  their  actions  were  satisfied,  after- 
wards, that  they  understood  what  it  meant.  They  made  a  pre- 
cipitate retreat,  and,  a  Httle  way  out  from  the  city,  they  met 
George  D.  Grant  and  David  Bettisworth,  who  had  been  sent 
with  the  tidings,  and  the  governor  turned  them  back  with  him, 
to  ])revent  the  news  from  reaching  Nauvoo  before  he  could  get 
a  sufficient  distance  away  to  be  safe  against  the  pursuing  '^Mor- 
mons. 

They  reached  Carthage  about  midnight.  The  governor  had  an 
interview  with  Dr.  Richards,  and  then  went  to  the  pubHc  square 
and  advised  all  w^ho  were  there  to  disperse,  as  he  expected  the 
people  of  Nauvoo  would  come  and  burn  the  town.  They  took 
his  advice  and  decamped  instanter,  while  he  rode  on  as  fast  as 
he  could  and  made  no  further  halt  until  he  was  about  fifty 
miles  distant  from  Nauvoo.  After  a  short  rest  he  continued 
his  hurried  journey  to  his  home.  '  'The  wicked  flee  when  no  man 
pursueth. 

The  Saints  did  not  follow  for  vengeance.  The  tactics  of 
man  would  have  led  to  such  a  result;  but  they  were  mar- 
shaled under  a  banner  whose  omnipotent  sovereign  has  declared 
that  'S^engeance  is  mine  and  I  will  repay."  They  made  no 
demonstration  of  force  whatever.  Yet  there  was  a  general 
feeling  of  uneasiness  through  the  country,  for  the  people  did 
not  believe  it  possible  that  the  Saints  would  restrain  their  pas- 
sions. 

While  their  enemies  throughout  the  County  were  fleeing  for 
their  lives,  or  trembling  lest  retributive  justice  should  overtake 
them,  the  Saints  in  Nauvoo  were  peacefully  but  sorrowfully 
performing  the  last  rites  over  the  remains  of  their  martwed 
Prophet  and  Patriarch  and  taking  steps  to  have  Elder  John 
Taylor,  who  still  lay  at  Carthage  terribly  wounded  and  in  a 
very  precarious  condition,  brought  home.  The  account  of  his 
return  to  Nauvoo  is  thus  related  by  President  Taylor : 

"I  lay  from  about  five  o'clock  until  the  next  morning  with- 
out having  my  wounds  dressed,  as  there  was  scarcely  any  help 
of  any  kind  in  Carthage,  and  Brother  Richards  was  busy  with 
the  dead  bodies,  preparing  them  for  removal.  My  wife  Leo- 
nora started  early  the  next  day,  having  had  some  little  trouble 
in  getting  a  company  or  a  physician  to  come  with  lier;  after 


02  THE  MARTYRS. 

considerable  difficulty  she  succeeded  in  getting  an  escort,  and 
Dr.  Samuel  Bcnnet  came  along  with  lier.  Soon  after  my 
father  and  mother  came  from  Oquakie,  near  which  place  they 
had  a  tarm  at  that  time,  and  hearing  of  the  trouble,  hastened 
along. 

"Many  of  the  mob,  came  around  and  treated  me  with  appar- 
ent respect,  and  the  officers  and  people  generally  looked  upon 
me  as  a  hostage,  and  feared  that  my  removal  would  be  the 
signal  for  the  rising  of  the  "Mormons." 

"I  do  not  remember  the  time  that  I  staid  at  Carthage,  but  I 
think  three  or  four  days  after  the  murder,  when  Brother  Marks 
with  a  carriage,  Brother  James  Allred  with  a  wagon.  Dr.  Ells, 
and  a  number  of  others  on  horseback,  came  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  me  to  Nauvoo.  I  was  very  weak  at  the  time,  occasioned 
by  the  loss  of  blood  and  the  great:  discharge  of  my  woimds,  so 
when  my  wife  asked  me  if  I  could  talk  I  could  barely  whisper 
'No. '  Quite  a  discussion  arose  as  to  the  propriety  of  my  removal, 
the  physicians  and  people  of  Carthage  protesting  that  it  would 
be  my  death,  while  my  friends  were  anxious  for  m.y  removal  if 
possible, 

'  'I  suppose  the  former  were  actuated  by  the  above-named  desire 
to  keep  me.  Colonel  Jones  was,  I  believe,  sincere ;  he  had 
acted  as  a  friend  all  the  time,  and  he  told  Mrs.  Taylor  she  ought 
to  persuade  me  not  to  go,  for  he  did  not  believe  I  had  strength 
enough  to  reach  Nauvoo.  It  was  finally  agreed,  however,  that 
I  should  go  ;  but  as  it  was  thought  that  I  could  not  stand  riding 
in  a  wagon  or  carriage,  they  prepared  a  litter  for  me ;  I  was 
carried  down  stairs  and  put  upon  it.  A  number  of  men  assisted 
to  carry  me,  some  of  whom  had  been  engaged  in  the  mob.  As 
soon  as  I  got  down  stairs,  I  felt  much  better  and  strengthened, 
so  that  I  could  talk  ;  I  suppose  the  effect  of  the  fresh  air. 

"When  we  had  got  near  the  outside  of  the  town  I  remem- 
bered some  woods  that  we  had  to  go  through,  and  telling  a  person 
near  to  call  for  Dr.  Ells,  who  was  riding  a  very  good  horse,  I 
said,  'Doctor,  I  perceive  that  the  i)eople  are  getting  fatigued 
with  carrying  me ;  a  number  of  'Mormons'  live  about  two  or 
three  miles  from  here,  near  our  route ;  will  you  ride  to 
their  settlement  as  quick  as  i)ossible,  and  have  them  come  and 
meet  us?'  He  started  off  on  a  gallop  immediately.  My  object 
in  this  was  to  obtain  protection  in  case  of  an  attack,  rather  tlian 
to  obtain  help  to  cany  me. 

"Very  soon  after  the  men  from  Carthage  made  one  excuse 
after  another,  until  they  had  all  left,  and  I  felt  glad  to 
get  rid  of  them.  I  found  that  the  tramping  of  those  carry- 
ing me  produced  violent  pain,  and  a  sleigh  was  produced  and 
attached  to  the  hind  end  of  Brother  James  Allred's  wagon,  a 
bed  placed  upon  it,  and  1  propped  up  on  the  bed.     Mi's.  Taylor 


ELDER  Taylor's  return  to  nauvoo.  93 

rode  with  me,  applying  ice  and  ice-water  to  my  wounds.  As 
the  sleigh  was  dragged  over  the  grass  on  the  prairie,  which  was 
quite  tall,  it  moved  very  easily  and  gave  me  very  little  pain. 

When  I  got  within  live  or  six  miles  of  Nauvoo  the  brethren 
commenced  to  meet  me  from  the  city,  and  thoy  increased  in 
number  as  we  drew  nearer,  \mtil  there  was  a  very  large  company 
of  people  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  i)rineipally,  however,  men. 
For  some  time  there  had  been  almost  incessant  rain,  so  that 
in  many  low  places  on  the  prairie  it  was  from  one  to  three  feet 
deep  in  water,  and  at  such  places  the  brethren  whom  we  met 
took  hold  of  the  sleigh,  lifted  it,  and  carried  it  over  the  water ; 
and  when  we  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city,  where  the 
roads  were  excessively  muddy  and  bad,  the  brethren  tore  down 
the  fences,  and  we  passed  through  the  fields. 

''Never  shall  I  forget  the  difference  of  feeling  that  I  experi- 
enced between  the  place  that  I  had  left  and  the  one  that  I  had 
now  arrived  at.  I  had  left  a  lot  of  reckless,  bloodthirsty  mur- 
derers, and  had  come  to  the  city  of  the  Saints,  the  people  of 
the  living  God,  friends  of  truth  and  righteousness,  thousands 
of  whomstood  there  with  warm,  true  hearts,  to  offer  their  friend- 
ship and  services,  and  to  welcome  my  return.  It  is  true  it  was 
a  painftil  scene,  and  brought  sorrowful  rememberance  to  mind, 
but  to  me  it  caused  a  thrill  of- joy  to  find  myself  once  more  in 
the  bosom  of  my  friends,  and  to  meet  with  the  cordial  welcome 
of  true,  honest  hearts.  What  was  very  remarkable,  I  found 
myself  very  much  better  after  my  arrival  at  Nauvoo  than  I  was 
when  I  started  on  my  journey,  although  I  had  traveled  eighteen 
miles. ' ' 

The  governor  continued  to  be  alarmed,  so  much  so  that  he 
sent  A.  Jonas  and  Colonel  Fellows  to  Nauvoo,  where  they 
arrived  on  the  first  of  July— seven  days  after  the  murder. 
Their  instructions  from  the  executive  were  as  follows : 

"Colonel  Fellows  and  Captain  Jonas  are  requested  to  proceed 
by  the  first  boat  to  Nauvoo,  and  ascertain  what  is  the  feelmg, 
disposition,  and  determination  of  the  people  there,  in  reference 
to  the  late  disturbances,  ascertain  whether  any  of  them  pro- 
pose in  any  manner  to  avenge  themselves,  whether  any  threats 
have  been  used,  and  what  is  proposed  generally  to  be  done  by 
them. ' ' 

The  City  Council  met  and  deliberated  upon  the  matter.  They 
passed  resolutions  that,  for  the  preservation  of  peace,  they 
would  rigidly  sustain  the  laws  and  the  governor  of  the  Stat€, 
so  long  as  he  and  they  would  sustain  them  in  their  constitu- 
tional rights.  As  the  governor  had  taken  from  the  people  of 
Nauvoo  their  arms,  they  thought  he  should  also  take  posses- 


94  THE  MARTYRS. 

sion  of  all  the  pul^lic  arms  of  the  State.  They  reprobated  pri- 
vate revenge  for  the  murder  of  Joseph  and  llyrum  Smith,  and 
appealed  to  the  majesty  of  the  law  for  redress,  and  should  the 
law  fail,  they  concluded  to  leave  the  matter  with  (lod. 

In  the  remaining  resolutions,  the  members  of  the  City  Council 
pledged  themselves  for  the  City  of  Nauvoo  that  no  aggressions 
should  be  made  by  the  citizens  upon  the  people  of  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  they  also  expressed  their  willingness  to 
'  'uphold  the  governor  and  the  law  by  all  honorable  means  while 
he  took  a  course  to  allay  excitement  and  restore  peace,  and 
would  use  his  influence  to  stop  all  vexatious  proceedings  in  law 
until  confidence  should  be  restored,  so  that  the  citizens  of  Nau- 
voo could  go,  if  necessary,  to  Carthage,  or  any  other  place,  for 
trial,  without  exposing  themselves  to  the  violence  of  assassins." 

The  same  day  a  public  meeting  was  held  by  the  citizens  of 
Nauvoo,  at  which  Messrs.  Jonas  and  Fellows  were  present,  and 
the  resolutions  of  the  City  Council  w^ere  read  and  unanimously 
endorsed  by  the  citizens. 

From  Nauvoo  the  governor's  commissioners  went  to  Carthage 
and  Warsaw,  and  at  the  latter  place  IMr.  Jonas  made  a  speech 
to  the  people  in  which  he  requested  them  to  say  whether  they 
would  support  Governor  Ford  in  enforcing  the  law  and  uphold- 
ing the  Constitution,  and  they  unanimously  refused  to  give  the 
pledge. 

This  refusal  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  Warsaw  is  in  keep- 
ing with  all  their  previous  proceedings  towards  the  people  of 
Nauvoo,  and  it  refjuires  but  very  little  diseernment  to  discover 
where  the  wrong  existed.  They  thirsted  for  further  trouble  and 
bloodshed  and  said  that  either  they  or  the  Mormons  must  leave 
the  County. 

The  people  of  Carthage  and  Warsaw  were  not  alone  in  sanc- 
tioning the  cruel  murder  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith ;  the 
deed  met  with  a  general  feeling  of  api)roval  throughout  the 
whole  country,  so  far  as  bigoted  priests,  traitorous  apostates  and 
lawless  mobocrats  had  been  able  to  raise  a  prejudice  against 
them.  The  feeling  was  not  as  outspoken  everywhere  else  as  at 
those  places;  but  still  there  was  a  strong  under-current  of 
approval  in  the  public  sentiment.  The  majority  of  the  people 
winked  at  the  transaction,  though  there  were  some  honorable 


ford's  insolent  letter.  95 

exceptions.  This  is  most  clearly  set  forth  in  a  letter  written  by 
Ford  about  this  time,  to  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  in  which  he 
thus  insults  their  misfortunes : 

"The  naked  truth  then  is,  that  most  well-informed  persons 
condemn  in  the  most  unqualified  manner  the  mode  in  which 
the  Smiths  were  put  to  death ;  but  nine  out  of  every  ten  of 
such  accompany  the  expression  of  their  disapprobation  by  a 
manifestation  of  their  pleasure  that  they  are  dead.  The  disap- 
proval is  most  unusually  cold  and  without  feelin.c:.  It  is  a  dis- 
approval which  appears  to  be  called  for,  on  their  part,  by 
decency,  by  a  respect  for  the  laws  and  a  horror  of  mobs,  but 
does  not  flow  warm  from  the  heart.  The  unfortunate  victims 
of  this  assassination  were  generally  and  thoroughly  hated 
throughout  the  country,  and  it  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  their  death  has  produced  any  reaction  in  the  public  mind 
resulting  in  active  sympathy ;  if  you  think  so,  you  are  mis- 
taken. Most  that  is  said  on  the  subject  is  merely  from  the 
teeth  out ;  and  j^our  people  may  depend  on  the  flict,  that  public 
feeling  is  now^  at  this  time,  as  thoroughly  against  them  as  it 
has  ever  been. ' '  "• 

It  was  not  enough  that  the  Saints  should  have  their  beloved 
leaders  murdered  in  cold  blood  !  It  was  not  sufficient  that  they 
should  be  sacrificed  to  treachery !  It  did  not  suffice  that  their 
lives  should  be  cut  short  by  the  assassin !  It  was  not  disgraceful 
enough  that  Ford  should  outrage  honor  and  humanity  by 
breaking  the  plighted  faith  of  the  State !  It  was  not  suffi- 
ciently barbarous  and  unprincipled  that  he  should  draw  his 
Confiding  victims  into  death's  snare  and  then  leave  them  defense- 
less, after  repeatedly  pledging  himself  for  their  protection  !  It 
was  not  cruel  enough  for  him  to  thus  make  them  the  victims  of 
a  ruthless  mob !  No,  all  this  did  not  suffice.  He  must  send 
his  relentless  stings  still  deeper  into  the  wounded  heart  and  taunt 
the  Saints  in  the  depths  of  that  grief  which  his  own  treach- 
ery had  produced.  After  he,  and  his  willing  helpers,  had  shed 
the  innocent  blood,  he  must  coolly  and  in  this  heartless  manner 
insult  the  tenderest  feelings  of  love  and  respect  that  it  is  possi- 
ble for  mortal  beings  to  entertain  for  any  of  their  race. 

Ford  was  a  weak  governor.  He  lacked  the  essential  quali- 
ties for  a  statesman.  He  was  destitute  of  stability  and  energy. 
He  could  not  brook  the  taunts  and  threats  of  mobocrats,  but 
suflPered   himself  to  be  moulded  as  their    pHant    tool.    He 


96  THE  MARTYRS. 

descended  from  the  dignity  of  a  i^overnor  and  walked  arm  in 
arm  with  those. who  trampled  his  authority  under  their  feet. 

The  governor  was  right  in  what  he  said  in  the  foregoing 
extract  as  to  the  bitter  feeling  of  the  people  of  the  State  against 
the  "Mormon"  community  and  their  secret  sanction  of  the 
murder  of  Joseph  and  H>Tum  Smith. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

SIDNEY  RIGDON's  CLAIM  TO  LEADERSHIP — THE  SAINTS  CON- 
VINCED THAT  PRESIDENT  YOUNG  WAS  THE  MAN — WORK 
ON  THE  TEMPLE  CROWDED — PERSECUTIONS  CONTINUED — 
REMOVAL  TO  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS  PREDICTED — SUGGES- 
TION FROM  GOVERNOR  FORD — A  SONG. 

THE  death  of  Joseph  Smith  left  the  Church  for  a  short  time 
apparently  without  a  head.  At  the  time  of  his  death  most 
of  the  Twelve  Apostles  were  on  missions  in  the  Eastern  States ; 
but  they  returned  home  as  soon  as  possible  after  receiving  the 
sad  news.  Immediately  after  they  reached  Nauvoo,  on  Thurs- 
day, August  8,  1844,  they  attended  a  very  large  meeting  that 
had  been  called  by  Sidney  Rigdon,  at  the  grove  east  of  the 
Temple.  After  Mr.  Rigdon  had  got  through  speaking,  and 
trying  to  induce  the  people  to  choose  him  as  a  guardian  for  the 
Church,  Brigham  Young  took  the  stand,  and  it  was  then  soon 
made  manifest  to  the  people  who  was  the  right  man  to  step 
into  Joseph's  shoes  and  be  his  successor  to  lead  Israel.  He  said : 

"There  has  been  much  said  about  President  Rigdon  being 
president  of  the  Church,  and  leading  the  people,  being  the  head, 
etc.  Brother  Rigdon  has  come  one  thousand  six  hundred 
miles  to  tell  you  what  he  wants  to  do  for  you.  If  the  people 
want  President  Rigdon  to  lead  them  they  may  have  him  ;  but 
I  say  unto  you  that  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  have  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  all  the  world. 

"The  Twelve  are  appointed  by  the  finger  of  God.  Here  is 
Brigham;  have  his  knees  ever  faltered?  have  his  lips  ever 
quivered?  Here  is  Heber  and  the  rest  of  the  Twelve,  an  inde- 
pendent body,    who  have  the  keys  of  the   Priesthood— the 


WORK   ON  THE  TEMPLK   CROWDED.  97 

keys  of  the  kingdom  of  (jrod  f o  deliver  to  all  the  world  ;  this  is 
true,  so  help  me  Clod.  Thev  stand  next  to  Joseph,  and  are  as 
the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church. ' ' 

Brother  Brigham  made  many  further  remarks  on  that  occa- 
sion which  were  intensely  interesting  and  instructive,  but  it  is 
regretted  that  they  cannot  be  inserted  here  in  full. 

At  this  meeting,  the  Twelve  Apostles  were  unanimously  sus- 
tained as  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church.  Brigham  Young 
being  the  President  of  that  quorum,  he  became,  of  course,  the 
first  representative  man  or  President  over  the  whole  people. 

President  Young  and  the  Twelve  pushed  forward  the  work  on 
the  Temple  as  fast  as  possible,  and  took  a  very  wise  course  for 
the  promotion  of  peace  and  to  restore  confidence  in  the  com- 
munity generally.  They  published  an  epistle  to  the  Church  at 
large,  which  was  timely  and  replete  with  good  counsel,  and  the}'' 
also  used  all  their  influence  with  Grovernor  Ford  and  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  State  to  have  the  wrongs  of  the  Saints  redressed. 

But  every  effort  to  secure  peace  proved  futile,  and  Hancock 
County  continued  to  be  the  scene  of  mob  violence,  excitement 
and  plunder  until  1846.  The  writer  is  compelled,  against  his 
inclination,  to  pass  over  many  circumstances  of  interest ;  only 
having  space  to  refer  to  some  of  the  leading  features  connected 
with  the  history  of  the  Saints  during  those  times. 

Sheriff  J.  B.  Backenstos,  not  a  member  of  the  Church,  was 
very  active,  and  used  much  energy  in  trying  to  put  a  stop  to 
the  lawless  and  cruel  proceedings  of  the  mob  party.  One  of 
the  leading  men  connected  with  the  murder  of  Joseph  and 
HjTum  Smith,  named  Frank  Worrell,  was  shot  and  killed  by 
order  of  the  shenft',  while  he  was  pursuing  that  officer  with 
deadly  weapons,  with  the  intention  of  taking  his  life. 

It  is  impossible  for  oil  and  water  to  mix  and  mingle  together ; 
so  was  it  unpleasant,  at  least,  if  not  impossible,  for  the  '"Mor- 
mon' '  people  and  the  mobbers  of  Illinois  to  dwell  together  in 
peace.  Their  religious  views  were  antagonistic.  One  was 
truth,  the  other  error.  The  Saints  preached  the  gospel  in  its 
fullness ;  the  other  class  had  a  form  of  godliness,  but  denied 
the  power  thereof.  The  former  proclaimed  glad  tidings  and 
universal  peace  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  whole  earth.  The 
latter,  unable  to  combat,  with  argument,  the  force  of  the  doc- 

4* 


98  THE  MARTYRS. 

triiies  taunlit  by  the  Saints,  were  filled  with  envy,  jealousy  and 
malice,  and  the  spirit  of  bloodshed  and  devastation  became  the 
predominant  passion  of  their  hearts. 

The  Saints  had  endured  so  much  persecution  from  the  verj'^ 
commencement  of  the  work,  that  many  of  them  were  worn  out 
as  to  their  physical  ability,  and  they  longed  for  the  Lord  in 
mercy  to  point  them  to  an  asylum  where  they  could  be  secluded 
and  free  from  the  ravages  of  their  ruthless  pursuers. 

The  Jjord  had  inspired  the  mind  of  the  Prophet  Joseph 
which  was  filled  with  hopeful  ideas  as  he  contemplated  the 
uninhabited  regions  of  the  west,  where  the  Rocky  Mountains 
were  uplifted  heavenwards  as  the  bulwarks  of  liberty.  He  had 
predicted  that  the  Saints  would  at  some  future  time  migrate  to 
that  region  and  place  the  trackless  plains  between  them  and 
their  persecutors. 

But  how  this  could  be  brought  to  pass,  at  first  the  Saints 
could  not  see.  They  prayed  for  the  Lord  to  inspire  them  with 
wisdom  and  open  the  way.  Their  petitions  were,  in  due  time, 
answered;  but  the  path  which  led  to  such  a  deliverance  lay 
through  still  accumulating  troubles  and  hardships. 

Had  the  Saints  been  the  first  to  make  such  a  proposition,  it 
would  have  been  opposed  by  their  enemies.  But,  strange  to 
say,  in  a  short  time  suggestions  were  made  by  Grovernor  Ford 
for  a  removal  of  our  people  to  California,  as  follows : 

"I  would  suggest  a  matter  in  confidence:  California  now 
oifers  a  field  for  the  prettiest  enterprise  that  has  been  under- 
taken in  uiodern  times.  It  is  but  sparcely  inhabited  and  by 
none  but  the  Indian  or  imbecile  Mexican  Spaniards.  1  have 
not  inquired  enough  to  know  how  strong  it  is  in  men  and  means. 
But  this  we  know,  that  if  conquered  from  Mexico,  that  country 
is  so  physically  weak  and  morally  distracted  that  she  could 
never  send  a  force  there  to  reconquer  it.  Why  Avould  it  not  be  a 
pretty  operation  for  your  people  to  go  out  there,  take  posses- 
sion of  and  conquer  a  portion  of  the  vacant  country  and  estab- 
lish an  independent  government  of  your  own,  subject  only  to 
the  laws  of  nations?"  You  would  remain  there  a  long  time 
before  you  would  bo  disturbed  by  the  proximity  of  other  settle- 
ments. If  you  conclude  to  do  this  your  design  ought  not  to 
be  known,  or  otherwise  it  would  become  the  duty  of  the  United 
States  to  prevent  your  emigration.  But  if  you  on(;e  cross  the 
line  of  the  United  States*  territories,  you  would  be  in  no  dan- 
ger of  beinM'  interfered  with." 


A    SONfl. 


99 


This  letter  was  addressed  to  l^risham  Voiii^i.^  April  S,  I  Si"). 
The  Saints  were  not  displeased  with  this  suggestion  of  Gov- 
ernor Ford,  inasmuch  as  it  was  an  evidence  to  them  that  he 
would  not  interpose  any  obstacle  in  the  way  of  their  removal. 
Yet  they  did  not  design,  in  case  of  a  removal  to  California,  to 
act  upon  his  suggestion  of  establishing  au  independent  govern- 
ment there.  The  Saints  were  American  citizens,  and  had  no 
desire  to  be  otherwise  than  true  to  their  allegiance.  Although 
their  countrymen  had  treated  them  with  violence  and  proscribed 
them  in  their  religious  liberties,  yet  they  could  not  be  unfaith- 
ful to  the  stars  and  stripes  which  had  waved  over  their  fore- 
fathers as  they  fought  and  bled  to  achieve  independence. 

There  were  other  influential  men  who  suggested  Vancouver 
and  Oregon  as  suitable  places  for  the  Saints  to  colonize,  remote 
from  the  scenes  of  their  former  persecutions,  where  they  might 
hope  to  be  permitted  to  enjoy  tbeir  religion  unmolested. 

Agreeably  with  the  intentions  of  the  Saints  to  remove  to 
some  part  of  the  Pacific  slope,  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
the  following  song  was  composed  by  Elder  John  Taylor,  and 
became  very  popular  with  the  people  while  they  remained  in 
Nauvoo : 


The  Upper  California,  0,  that's  the  land  for  me! 

It  lies  between  the  mountains  and  the  great  Pacific  sea ; 
The  Saints  can  be  supported  there, 
And  taste  the  sweets  of  liberty 
In  Upper  California— Oh,  that's  the  land  for  me. 
Oh,  that's,  etc. 


We'll  go  and  lift  our  standard,  we'll  go  there  and  be  free  : 
We'll  go  to  California  and  have  our  jubilee — 
A  land  that  blooms  with  beauty  rare, 
A  land  of  life  and  liberty, 
With  flocks  and  herds  abounding— Oh,  that's  the  land  for  me ! 
Oh,  that's,  etc. 


100  THE  MARTYRS. 

We'll  burst  oil'  all  our  fetters  and  lireak  the  (jreutile  yoke, 
For  long  it  has  beset  us,  but  now  it  shall  be  broke : 
No  more  shall  Jacob  bow  his  neck ; 
Henceforth  he  sh  all  l)e  great  and  free 
In  Upper  California — Oh,  that's  the  land  for  me ! 
Oh,  that's,  etc. 

We' 11  reign,  we' 11  rule  and  triumph,  and  God  shall  be  our  King; 
The  plains,  the  hills  and  valleys  shall  with  hosannas  ring ; 
Our  towers  and  temples  there  shall  rise 
Along  the  great  Pacific  Sea, 
In  Upper  California — Oh,  that's  the  land  for  me! 
Oh,  that's,  etc. 

We'll  ask  our  cousin  Lemuel  to  join  us  heart  and  hand, 
And  spread  abroad  our  curtains  throughout  fair  Zion's  land : 
Till  this  is  done,  we'll  pitch  our  tents 
Along  the  great  Pacific  Sea, 
In  Upper  California— Oh,  that's  the  land  for  me ! 
Oh,  that's,   etc. 

Then  join  with  me,  my  brethren,  and  let  us  hasten  there ; 
We'll  lift  our  glorious  standard  and  raise  our  house  of  prayer ; 
We'll  call  on  all  the  nations  round 
To  join  our  standard  and  be  free 
In  Upper  California— Oh,  that' 
Oh,  that's,  etc. 


FURTHER   OUTRAGES — MEN  WHIPPED.  101 


CHAPTER   XIT. 

FURTHER  OUTRAGES— MEN  WHIPPED— OTHERS  KIDNAPPED— 
FED  WITH  POISON  AND  SET  UP  FOR  TARGETS,  BUT  FI- 
NALLY RELEASED — ONE-SIDED  COURT— ASSASSIN  RULE- 
OUTRAGES  UNBEARABLE— REMOVAL  WESTWARD  COM- 
MENCED—NATTV^OO  BESIEGED  AND  REMAINING  SAINTS 
FORCIBLY  DRIVEN    OUT. 

THE  onslaughts  made  upon  our  people  in  some  portions 
of  Hancock  County  continued  to  be  of  frequent  occurrence. 
The  mob  were  filled  with  hatred  towards  the  Saints  and  placed 
the  torch  to  their  dwellings  and  stacks  of  grain. 

"On  the  11th  of  July,  [184r>]  John  Hill,  Archibald  N.  Hill, 
Caleb  W.  Lyons,  James  W.  Huntsman,  Gardmer  Curtis,  John 
Richards,  EHsha  Mallory  and  J.  W.  D.  Philhps,  who"  were 
engaged  in  harvesting  wheat  about  twelve  mdes  from  Nauvoo, 
while  working  in  the  field,  were  surrounded  by  an  armed  mob, 
who  completely  hemmed  them  in,  thereby  preventing  their 
escape,  and  then  ransacked  their  wagons  for  their  fire-arms. 
After  taking  from  them  every  weapon  they  had,  the  mob  sent 
to  the  woods  for  some  long  hickory  switches.  Then  taking 
the  defenceless  men  one  at  a  time  they  forced  them  to  assume 
a  stooping  position  in  a  ditch,  while  each  of  them  received 
twenty  lashes  across  the  back  with  the  switches,  wielded  by  one 
of  the  mob  part5^  As  there  were  but  eight  of  the  brethren, 
they  were  so  completely  in  the  power  of  these  merciless  crea- 
tures they  could  not  do  otherwise  than  submit  to  the  torture. 
The  mob  then  smashed  four  of  their  guns  to  pieces  over  a 
stump  and  returned  the  fragments  to  them,  while  they  retained 
the  rest  of  the  guns  and  pistols.  The  brethren  were  then 
ordered  with  an  oath  to  get  into  their  carriages  and  drive  for 
Nauvoo,  and  not  look  back,  and  the  mob  fired  a  parting  shot  at 
them  as  they  did  so. " 

Two  of  the  mob  engaged  in  this  shameful  affair  were  soon 
aftei-wards  arrested,  in  retahation  for  which  Phineas  H.  Young, 
Brigham  H.  Young,  Richard  Ballantyne,  James  Standing  and 
James  Herring  were  pounced  upon  while  near  Pontoosuc  and 


102  THE  MARTYRS. 

forcibly  taken  into  custody  by  a  party  of  the  mob.  Thvy  AS'crc 
not  accused  of  any  crime,  but  were  informed  that  they  would 
be  held  as  hostages  for  the  safety  of  3IcAuley  and  Brattle 
who  were  held  under  arrest  by  the  civil  authorities  at  Nauvoo. 
The  guilty  conscience-stricken  wretches  who  held  these  breth- 
ren in  their  custody  were  constantly  imagining  that  the  friends 
of  their  prisoners  were  close  upon  their  track,  and  accordingly 
"hurried  them  from  one  place  to  another,  traveling  a  great 
deal  in  the  night,  sometimes  halting  for  a  short  time,  when 
fear  would  come  upon  them  and  they  would  again  take  up  their 
hurried  flight,  through  woods,  thickets  and  marshes,  urging 
their  prisoners  on  at  times  by  goading  them  with  the  points  of 
their  bayonets,  and  this  too  when  they  were  almost  fainting 
from  sickness  and  fatigue.  Once  the  mob  were  on  the  point 
of  shooting  their  prisoners,  and  had  even  cocked  and  pointed 
their  guns  at  them,  when  the  alarm  was  sounded  by  one  of 
their  party  that  the  'Mormons'  were  on  their  trail  and  it 
would  not  do  to  make  any  noise,  when  they  again  took  up  their 
flight."  These  brethren  were  held  in  captivity  twelve  days. 
During  this  time  poison  was  given  to  them,  which  failed  to 
accomplish  the  flital  result  that  was  intended.  Finally  the 
mob  again  determined  to  shoot  them  and  their  prisoners  "were 
ordered  to  form  in  a  line  to  be  shot.  At  this  juncture  Phineas 
H.  Young  plead  with  the  mob  to  spare  the  lives  of  his  brethren, 
and  offered  his  own  life  if  they  would  only  do  so.  The  delay 
occasioned  by  this  appeal  saved  their  lives,  as  just  then  one  of 
the  mob  party  came  riding  up  and  reported  the  'Mormons' 
three  hundred  and  fifty  strong  coming  upon  them  ;  and  again 
the  ]u-isoners  were  hurried  ofl". ' '  Finally  the  brethren  made  an 
earnest  appeal  to  the  guard  whose  feelings  were  softened  and 
they  even  aided  them  in  making  their  escape. 

Mobs  filled  the  County  of  Hancock,  in  every  neighborhood 
where  the  settlements  of  the  Saints  were  in  anj^wise  isolated, 
and  many  were  shot  at  and  otherwise  maltreated. 

On  the  2r)th  of  October,  1845,  Major  Warren  marched  to 
Nauvoo  with  a  body  of  troops  and  demanded  an  explanation  of 
the  movements  of  some  expressmen  whom  he  had  seen  on  the 
prairies  a  little  way  out  from  Nauvoo. 


ONE-SIDED   COURT.  103 

]  Vcsident  Young  <iiiietly  infomiod  him  why  they  had  been 
sent  out.  It  was  to  watch  the  movements  of  parties  ol'the  mob 
who  were  constantly  harrassing  and  threatening  our  borders, 

IMajor  Warren  became  very  angry  and  tlireatened  to  place 
the  County  under  martial  law. 

Elder  John  Taylor,  who  had  scarcely  recovered  from  his 
wounds,  in  a  very  forcible  manner,  said  to  Major  Warren : 

"We  lack  confidence  in  the  governor's  troops  under  your 
command,  and  while  hundreds  of  murderers,  robbers  and 
house-burners  roam  at  large,  unwhipped  of  justice,  we  shall 
take  measures  to  protect  ourselves.  I,  sir,  have  been  shot  all 
to  pieces  under  the  protection  of  the  governor's  troops.  Our 
leading  men  have  been  murdered  in  Carthage,  and  we  shall  not 
trust  ourselves  unprotected  again  until  the  State  gives  some 
evidence  more  than  it  has  done,  of  its  justice  and  humane  inten- 
tions to  enforce  its  laws. ' ' 

Judge  Purple's  Court,  held  at  Carthage  during  the  month 
above  named,  was  an  ex  parte  tribunal,  as  he  would  receive  no 
evidence  of  a  character  calculated  to  convict  mob-men  for  the 
destruction  of  "Mormon"  property  or  the  shedding  of  "Mor- 
mon" blood. 

To  place  the  Saints  still  more  at  the  mercy  of  their  enemies, 
the  Legislature  repealed  the  Nauvoo  City  charter  in  January, 
184;"),  thus  depriving  the  citizens  of  municipal  protection. 

Edmund  Durfee,  an  inoflensive  man,  while  assisting  to 
extinguish  a  fire  that  the  mob  had  set  in  a  stack  of  straw,  in 
the  Green  Plains  precinct,  was  shot  by  the  mob  who  were  con- 
cealed near  by. 

The  governor  was  petitioned  to  interpose  his  power,  but 
failed  to  inaugurate  any  thorough  measures  to  check  these  out- 
rageous proceedings.  He  seemed  in  a  great  degree  hardened 
against  all  such  intercessions. 

The  Saints  could  not  endure  it.  They  had  been  patient  until 
patience  was  no  longer  a  virtue.  Their  feelings  revolted  against 
a  conflict  of  force.  They  had  had  an  organized  armed  legion, 
it  is  true,  and  it  had  the  desired  effect  to  awe  the  wricked  and 
keep  mobbers  at  bay,  which  was  the  paramount  object  of  its 
creation ;  nevertheless,  had  mobbers  unjustifiably  precipitated 
their  forces  against  it,  they  would  have  met  an  unpleasant 
reception.     The  fact  of  their  giving  up  their  arms  upon  the 


104  THE  MARTYRvS. 

governor  s  order  is  an  evidence  that  there  w.13  no  intention  on 
the  part  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion  ever  to  make  war  against  or 
resist  the  legally  constituted  authorities  of  the  State  or  nation. 
But  the  persecutions,  continuing  year  after  year,  became  too 
grievous  to  be  borne.  The  laud  of  liberty  could  no  longer 
afford  the  Saints  anasyhim.  The  most  glorious  republic  that  ever 
existed  did  not  contain  patriots  enough  to  rebuke  the  mobo- 
cratic  element.  Assassins  were  permitted  to  rule  and  the  flag 
of  freedom  was  trampled  in  the  dust.  Religious  toleration 
had  become  words  of  mythical  import  in  the  vocabulary  of  the 
rulers  of  Illinois. 

Where  a  few  years  before,  shelter,  rest  and  hospitality  were 
offered  to  the  outcasts  of  Missouri,  now  the  torch,  the  sword, 
the  lash  and  the  arms  of  the  assassin  waged  a  war  of  extermi- 
nation, more  cruel  and  bloody  in  its  results  than  the  despotism 
of  Boggs  and  the  prisons  and  chains  of  Missouri  mobbers 
could  inflict.  It  was  reser^^ed  for  Illinois  to  consummate  what 
Missouri  failed  to  accomplish. 

The  genius  of  Brigham  Young  and  the  Twelve  Apostles  was 
equal  to  the  emergency,  yet  the  removal  of  such  a  vast  number 
of  people,  among  whom  were  very  many  poor,  aged  and  infirm, 
was  a  stupendous  undertaking,  requiring  skill  and  financial 
ability.  But  they  set  about  the  work  in  earnest  and  trusted  in 
God.  Companies  of  mechanics  were  organized  and  set  to 
work  to  build  wagons,  make  tents  and  wagon  covers,  purchase 
and  trade  for  teams,  etc. ,  etc. ,  and  in  the  month  of  February, 
1846,  a  niajority  of  the  Saints  were  ready  for  the  great  exodus 
into  the  wilderness. 

It  should  be  here  stated  that  this  removal  was  agreed  upon 
and  stipulations  entered  into  to  this  effect  between  the  Church 
authorities  and  their  enemies,  the  understanding  being  that 
the  whole  of  the  Church  should  leave  the  State  as  soon  as  their 
property  could  be  disposed  of.  This  agreement,  however,  wa.s 
entirely  disregarded  by  the  mob  pi?rty,  for  the  Saints  were 
driven  from  the  State  before  they  had  a  chance  to  sell  more 
than  a  fraction  of  their  property,  the  balance  being  left  in  pos- 
session of  their  enemies.  The  main  body  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi  in   the   early  part  of  February,   but  Brigham   Young, 


NAUVOO  TAKEN   BY  THE  MOB.  105 

Willard  llichards  and  George  A.  Smith  did  not  cross  the  river 
until  the  loth  of  the  month. 

The  minority  who  were  under  the  necessity  of  remaining  a 
few  months  longer  to  try  to  sell  their  property  and  make  an  outfit, 
were  warred  against  and  hunted  night  and  day,  during  the 
entire  summer  of  that  year,  and  on  the  11th  of  September 
quite  a  formidable  mob  force  began  to  menace  the  suburbs  of 
Nauvoo.  Their  cannon,  loaded  with  grape  and  canister,  were 
fired  at  the  companies  of  volunteers  who  were  endeavoring  to 
check  their  advance.  They  also  fired  three  rounds  at  Esquire 
Wells'  house,  occupied  by  his  family  at  the  time.  William 
Sheen  and  his  party,  who  had  charge  of  a  cannon,  succeeded 
in  checking  their  advance  somewhat,  and  though  the  mob 
made  several  attempts  to  outflank  the  volunteers  they  were 
unsuccessful. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th,  Major  Clifibrd,  not  a  "Mor- 
mon, ' '  who  had  been  commissioned  by  the  governor  and  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  Illinois  militia,  who  was  stationed  in 
Nauvoo,  notified  the  mob  party  to  disperse  and  suspend  hos- 
tilities. To  this  they  paid  no  heed,  but  fired  upon  the  city 
with  increased  vigor.  Soon  the  firing  on  both  sides  became 
very  brisk.  Captain  William  Anderson,  who  displayed  great 
bravery  in  the  fight,  was  shot  in  the  breast  by  a  musket  ball. 
He  lived  fifteen  minutes,  all  the  time  encouraging  his  men. 
As  he  was  hit,  he  exclaimed:  "I  am  wounded;  take  my  gun 
and  shoot  on."  His  son,  Augustus  L.  Anderson  was  killed  by 
a  cannon  ball.  David  Norris  was  killed  by  a  cannon  ball. 
Hyrum  Kimball,  Benjamin  Whitehead,  John  C.  Campbell  and 
Curtis  E.  Bolton  were  wounded. 

Some  of  the  mob  were  killed  and  wounded  and  they  were 
compelled  to  retreat. 

The  mob  continued  their  firing  upon  the  city  until 
the  16th.  In  the  meantime  a  correspondence  was  in  progress, 
which  resulted  in  a  treaty  between  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  and 
the  mob  party,  in  which  it  was  agreed  that  the  mob  forces 
were  to  occupy  the  city,  and  the  "Mormons"  were  to  deliver  up 
their  arms  and  leave  as  soon  as  they  could  cross  the  river. 

"Mr.  Brayman,  agent  of  the  Grovernor  of  Illinois,  upon  hear- 
ing the  treaty  read,  declared  that  it  surpassed  anything  of  the 

5 


106  THE  MARTYRS. 

kind  that  lie  had  ever  read  or  heard  of.  He  knew  the  volun- 
teers were  acting  under  the  orders  of  the  governor,  and  yet  they 
were  overpowered  by  the  mob  and  forced  to  agree  to  terms  of 
banishment  to  save  the  lives  of  themselves  and  their  families. 
There  were  women  and  children  also  there,  some  of  whose  hus- 
bands and  fathers  were  in  the  United  States  army,  and  had 
started  for  California  on  foot,  over  pathless  deserts  and  moun- 
tains, to  plant  their  country's  flag  in  distant  lands.  To  see 
their  wives,  children  and  friends  driven  from  their  homes  by  a 
bloodthirsty  mob,  caused  Mr.  Bray  man  to  shed  tears.  There 
were  others  also  from  difi'erent  parts  of  the  Union  who  were 
eye-witnesses  of  these  outrages,  who  were  similarly  affected  at 
the  sight." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

JOSEPH  SAHTH  ARRAIGNED  ON  CRIMINAL  CHARGES  FIFTY 
TIMES,  AND  INVARIABLY  ACQUITTED— RESPECT  FOR  CIVIL 
LAW  ENJOINED  BY  REVELATION— THE  SAINTS  A  LOYAL 
PEOPLE. 

IT  has  ever  seemed  strange  to  the  writer  that  the  enemies 
of  Joseph  Smith  and  the  Saints  in  general  would  cling  with 
such  tenacity  to  the  belief  that  they  were  enemies  to  the 
government  and  the  laws  of  the  land.  Yet  such  was  the 
case. 

Upon  this  subject  the  authorities  of  the  Church  wrote  from 
Nauvoo,  under  date  of  April  24,  1845,  to  His  Excellency, 
President  James  K.  Polk,  of  which  the  following  is  an 
extract : 

"And  here.  Sir,  permit  us  to  state  that  General  Joseph 
Smith,  during  his  short  life,  was  arraigned  at  the  bar  of  his 
country  about  fifty  times,  charged  with  criminal  offenses,  but 
was  acquitted  every  time  by  his  country,  his  enemies,  or 
rather  his  religious  opponents,  almost  invariably  being  his 
judges.  And  we  further  testify  that  as  a  people,  we  are  law 
abiding,  peaceable,  and  without  crime,  and  we  challenge  the 
world  to  prove  the  contrary;  and  while  other  less  cities  m 
Illinois  have  had  special  courts  instituted  tu  try  their  criminals, 


COMMANDED  BY  REVELATION  TO  RESPECT  LAW.  107 

we  have  been  stripped  of  every  source  of  arraigning  marauders 
and  murderers  who  are  prowling  around  to  destroy  us,  except 
the  common  magistracy. 

"With  these  fticts  before  you,  Sir,  will  you  write  to  us  with- 
out delay  as  a  father  and  a  friend,  and  advise  us  what  to  do. 
We  are  members  of  the  same  great  confederacy.  Our  fathers, 
yea  some  of  us,  have  fought^  and  bled  for  our  country,  and  we 
love  her  Constitution  dearly. 

As  early  as  x^ugust  1,  1831,  a  revelation  was  received  from  the 
Lord  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  (Doctrine  and  Cov- 
enants, page  219),  in  which  the  Saints  are  commanded  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Let  no  man  break  the  laws  of  the  land,  for  he  that  keepeth 
the  laws  of  God  hath  no  need  to  break  the  laws  of' the  land: 
Wherefore,  be  subject  to  the  powers  that  be,  until  He  reigns 
whose  right  it  is  to  reign,  and  subdues  all  enemies  under  His 
feet.  Behold,  the  laws  which  ye  have  received  from  my  hand 
are  the  laws  of  the  Church,  and  in  this  light  ye  shall  hold 
them  forth.     Behold,  here  is  wisdom. 

Again,  in  December  IG,  1833,  in  a  revelation  received  by 
Joseph,  relative  to  the  Saints  who  had  been  driven  from  Jack- 
son County  (Doctrine  and  Covenants,  page  357),  is  the  follow- 
ing commandment : 

"And  again  I  say  unto  you,  those  who  have  been  scattered 
by  their  enemies,  it  is  my  will  that  they  should  continue  to 
importune  for  redress,  and  redemption,  by  the  hands  of  those 
who  are  placed  as  rulers,  and  are  in  authority  over  you,  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  and  constitution  of  the  people  which  I  have 
suffered  to  be  established,  and  should  be  maintained  for  the 
rights  and  protection  of  all  flesh,  according  to  just  and  hoi}'- 
principles,  that  every  man  may  act  in  doctrine  and  principle 
pertaining  to  futurity,  according  to  the  moral  agency  which  I 
have  given  unto  them,  that  every  man  may  be  accountable  for 
his  own  sins  in  the  day  of  judgment.  Therefore,  it  is  not  right 
that  any  man  should  be  in  bondage  one  to  another.  And  for 
this  purpose  have  I  established  the  Constitution  of  this  land, 
by  the  hands  of  wise  men  whom  I  raised  up  unto  this  very 
purpose,  and  redeemed  the  land  by  the  shedding  of  blood. 

These  extracts  are  inserted  here  to  show  to  the  world  what 
the  principles  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  respecting  the  laws 
of  the  land.  They  have  been  in  print  and  published  far  and 
wide  for  nearly  a  half  century  of  time.     The  principles  con- 


lOS  TFIF.  MARTYRS. 

taiued  in  them,  pcrt;iiniiig  to  the  Constitution  and  hiws  of  this 
government,  have  been  all  this  time  adojited  by  this  people  as 
being  among  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  their  religious  and 
political  faith.  Our  Elders  have  preached  them  all  over  the 
civiHzed  vt^orld  and  our  publications  have  defended  and  lauded 
them  as  being  among  the  most  glorious  principles  of  this 
republic. 

More  than  this,  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  the  followers 
of  their  doctrines,  have  carried  them  out  in  their  lives  and 
practice.  And  still  more,  they  intend  doing  so  to  the  end  of 
the  conflict. 

Upon  these  great  doctrines  Joseph  Smith  has  all  the  time 
been  misunderstood  by  his  opponents.  Many  have  been  willful 
in  their  opposition,  and  others  have  not  possessed  the  resources 
for  correct  information. 

No  man  has  ever  lifted  a  voice  on  the  American  continent, 
who  was  more  strongly  imbued  with  all  the  doctrines  and  pro- 
visions of  the  Constitution  than  was  this  man,  and  none  have 
ever  been  more  universally  maligned  and  misrepresented.  He 
loved  this  as  the  country  of  his  birth,  and  he  revered  the 
memory  of  those  patriots  who  established  a  free  and  independ- 
ent government  upon  this  land. 

With  a  fixed  purpose  to  do  the  will  of  heaven,  and  with  the 
inspirations  of  Jehovah  upon  him,  he  stood  firm  for  the 
right  in  every  cause,  and  combatted  error  wherever  it  was  pre- 
sented. Those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him,  for  he  was 
high-minded,  honorable  and  dignified. 

He  was  a  target  for  an  unauthorized  priesthood  and  for  cor- 
rupt demagogues  to  aim  their  shafts  of  envy  at.  At  last 
they  united  in  a  crusade  for  his  life  and  made  him  the  victim 
of  their  treachery,  and  now  his  blood  and  that  of  his  brother, 
cry  to  heaven  to  be  avenged  upon  their  heartless  and  heaven- 
despised  slayers,  (lod  will  avenge  that  blood  when  the  contro- 
versy is  made  against  all  those  whose  garments  have  been  dyed 
with  the  blood  of  innocence  since  righteous  Abel  fell  a  sacrifice 
to  the  envy  and  wickedness  of  his  brother. 


RETRIBTJlTVE  .TUSTICE.  109 


CHAPTER  XIA^ 


RETRIBUTIVE     JUSTICE. 


ATO  doubt  all  Christian  people  will  agree  with  the  Latter-day 
^^  Saints  in  the  belief  that  God  is  just,  and  that  while  He  will 
reward  the  righteous  according  to  their  merits,  He  will  also 
manifest  His  displeasure  towards  those  who  violate  His  laws. 

The  greatest  sin  that  men  can  commit  is:  "The  blasphemy 
against  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  shall  not  be  forgiven  in  the  world, 
nor  out  of  the  world,  is  in  that  ye  commit  murder,  wherein  ye 
shed  innocent  blood  and  assent  unto  my  death."  These  are 
the  words  of  the  Lord,  given  through  Joseph  Smith,  the 
Prophet,  and  His  murderers  can  read  them  and  learn  their  doom. 

If  we  had  the  history  of  those  who  have  shed  the  blood  of  the 
prophets,  it  would  be  seen,  no  doubt,  that  they  have  been  vis- 
ited vntli  the  stings  of  conscience  for  their  crimes  ;  and  evidences 
of  the  displeasure  of  the  Almighty  could  be  traced  in  their  after 
lives.  As  a  few  testimonies  are  at  hand  with  reference  to  the 
murderers  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  other  Saints  who 
have  been  martyred  for  the  gospel  sake,  they  are  here  inserted. 

The  first  testimony  here  given  was  published  in  the 
latter  part  of  1874,  as  follows: 

"A  lady  was  invited  to  attend  a  Methodist  church  at  Peoria, 
Illinois,  and  noticing  a  rough  box  or  coffin  resting  under  the 
pulpit,  inquired  concerning  it,  and  was  informed  that  it  enclosed 
the  remains  of  the  wife  of  ex-Governor  Ford,  and  was  supplied 
at  the  public  expense.  Ford  was  -present,  and  he  looked  gaunt 
and  miserable,  and  his  bones  appeared  ready  to  pierce  through 
the  skin.  Two  weeks  later,  the  lady  attended  again,  and  was 
astonished  to  see  a  similar  coffin  in  the  same  place.  It  con- 
tained all  that  was  left  of  Governor  Ford,  who  had  for  some 
time  lived,  and  had  now  died,  a  pauper.  The  lady  who  saw 
this,  though  she  had  left  the  "Mormon"  Church,  remembered 
hearing  Elder  John  Taylor  say  in  Nauvoo,  that  'Governor  Ford 
would  live  until  the  flesh  would  wither  from  his  bones  and  he 
would  die  a  pauper. '  ' ' 

Also,  a  few  daj^s  after  the  appearance  of  the  above  notice, 
the  following  account  of  the  tragic  fate  of  Governor  Ford's  son, 


110  THE  MAR-n^RS. 

Thomas,  appeared  in  print,  and  may  be  set  down  among  the 
many  cases  where  the  sins  of  the  fathers  are  visited  upon  the 
children : 

''Ford's children,  in  consequence  of  his  poverty,  were  adopted 
by  different  citizens,  Thomas  being  taken  care  of  by  Hon.  Thos. 
Vj.  ]NI()ore.  of  Peoria.  The  young  man  served  in  the  army,  and 
afterwards  moved  to  Kansas,  where,  with  an  elder  brother,  he 
followed  various  occupations,  principally  driving  large  herds  of 
stock  from  the  South. 

"Last  July  he  was  going  to  Caldwell  and  stopped  at  a  ranch 
for  refreshment.  Here  he  was  watched  by  two  armed  men,  and, 
after  proceeding  about  a  mile,  was  suddenly  seized  by  three  men 
before  he  could  defend  himself  They  took  him  for  one  of  the 
cattle  stealers,  with  which  the  State  was  infested,  and,  in  spite 
of  his  protestations,  i)rayers  and  appeals  for  an  investigation, 
they  iH-oceeded  to  hang  him  to  the  limb  of  a  tree.  He  told 
them  he  was  the  son  of  ex-Governor  Ford,  but  they  laughed 
him  to  scorn  and  refused  to  examine  his  papers." 

The  following  ap])ears  in  the  Autobiography  of  P.  P.  Pratt: 

"A  man  named  Townsend,  living  in  Iowa,  near  Fort  Mad- 
ison, was  one  of  the  mob  who  assaulted  and  forced  in  the  jail 
door.  The  i^istol  discharged  by  Joseph  Smith  wounded  him 
in  the  arm,  near  the  shoulder,  and  it  continued  to  rot  without 
healing  until  it  was  taken  off,  and  even  then  it  would  not  heal. 

"About  six  months  after  he  was  shot,  Mrs.  Lawn  saw  his 
arm  and  dressed  it.  He  was  then  gradually  rotting  and  dying 
with  the  wound.  He  stayed  over  night  Avith  Mrs.  Lawn's  fither, 
and  groaned  through  the  night  without  sleeping.  ^  He  asked 
the  old  gentleman  what  he  thought  of  Joseph  Smith  being  a 
Proi)het"  He  replied  that  he  did  not  know.  'Well,'  said 
Townsend,  ^Iknoio  he  ivas  a  Prophet  of  God!  And,  oh,  that 
I  had  staid  at  home  and  minded  my  own  business,  and  then  I 
would  not  have  lost  my  life  and  been  tormented  with  a  guilty 
conscience,  and  with  this  dreadful  wound,  which  none  can  healP 
He  died  two  or  three  months  afterwards,  having  literally  rotted 
alive. 

"James  Head,  of  McComb,  was  also  one  of  the  murderers  at 
the  (Airthage  jail;  he  was  heard  by  Captain  Lawn  and  others 
to  })oast  of  it  afterwards,  and  Captain  Lawn  drew  a  pistol  antl 
chased  him ;  but  he  ran  away.  He  was  always  gloomy  and 
troubltHl  from  the  time  he  helped  to  murder  the  Smiths,  and 
frefpiently  declared  that  he  saw  the  two  martyrs  always  before 
him !     He  had  no  peace. 

"A  colonel  of  the  Missouri  mob,  who  helped  to  drive,  plun- 
der and  murder  the  'Mormons,'  died  in  the  hosi)ital  at  Sacra- 
mento, 1S41K     Beckwith  bad  the  care  of  him  ;  lie  was  eaten 


FATE   OF  SOME  OF  THE  MOB.  Ill 

with  worms — a  large  black-headed  kind  of  maggot— which 
passed  through  him  by  myriads,  seemingly  a  half  pint  at  a 
time !  Before  he  died  these  maggots  were  crawling  out  of  his 
mouth  and  nose !  He  literally  rotted  alive  !  Even  the  flesh  on 
his  legs  burst  open  and  fell  from  the  bones  !  They  gathered  up 
the  rotten  mass  in  a  blanket  and  buried  him,  without  awaiting 
a  coffin ! 

"A   Mr,  ,  one  of   Missouri   mob,    died    in   the  same 

hospital  about  the  same  time,  and  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Beck- 
with.  His  face  and  jaw  on  one  side  literally  rotted,  and  half  of 
his  face  actually  fell  off!  One  eye  rotted  out,  and  half  of  his 
nose,  mouth  and  jaw  fell  from  the  bones!  The  doctor  scraped 
the  bones,  and  unlocked  and  took  out  his  jaw  from  the  joint 
round  to  the  center  of  the  chin.  The  rot  and  maggots  contin- 
ued to  eat  till  they  ate  through  the  large  or  jugular  vein  of  his 
neck,  and  he  bled  to  death !  He,  as  well  as  Townsend,  stank 
so  previous  to  their  death  that  they  had  to  be  placed  in  rooms 
by  themselves,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  to  endure  their 
presence,  and  the  flies  could  not  be  ke])t  from  blowing  them 
while  alive ! 

"Wm.  T.  Head,  an  officer  in  Captain  Lawn's  company,  and 
tarr>^ng  in  Carthage,  testified  that  he  saw  a  certain  man  raise 
a  large  knife  to  strike  off  the  head  of  Joseph,  when,^  all  at  once, 
and  in  the  midst  of  a  clear  day,  with  no  cloud  in  sight,  'a  ter- 
rible clap  of  thunder  rolled  heavily,  and  forked  lightning 
flashed  in  the  face  of  the  murderers,  and  perfectly  paralyzed  a 
number  of  them. 

"The  ruffian,  who  had  raised  his  knife  and  had  sworn  with  a 
dreadful  oath  to  take  the  head  off  Joseph,  stood  perfectly  par- 
alyzed, his  arm  uplifted  with  the  knife  suspended  in  air,  and 
could  not  move  a  limb.  His  comrades  carried  him  off,  and  all 
fled  in  terror  from  the  scene. ' ' 

Elder  Jas.  PI.  Moyle,  writing  from  the  Southern  States,  in 
August,  1881,  says: 

"Bro.  W.  C.  Burton  and  I  met  a  citizen  of  North  Carolina, 
named  Brown,  who  claims  to  be  one  of  the  mob  that  com- 
mitted the  soul-destroying  crime  of  shedding  the  innocent, 
unoffending  blood  of  an  anointed  prophet  of  Grod.  He  says 
that  he  lived  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  and  admits  that  it  was  a  rich 
and  productive  country,  but  with  all  its  charms  he  did  not  seem 
to  have  contentment,  as  he  has  been  wandering  from  place  to 
place  ever  since,  as  though  in  search  of  an  asylum  for  a  trou- 
bled conscience.  He  is  now  settled  in  one  of  the  poorest  of 
poor  districts,  where  he  is  so  situated  that  he  can  go  no  farther, 
and  where  he  is  scarcely  able  to  earn  a  subsistence. 

"During  the  extremely  cold  weather  last  winter,  some  of  his 
little  children  were  totally  destitute  of  clothing.     The  neighbors, 


112  THE  MARTYRS. 

moved  with  compassion,  collected  some  old  clothes  and  neces- 
saries of  life,  and  sent  them. 

'  'While  we  should  be  ftir,  far  from  despising  the  poor  for  their 
poverty,  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  the  sa^nng  of  the  Psalmist: 
'I  have  been  young,  and  now  am  old:  yet  have  1  not  seen  the 
righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging  bread.' 

''This  man  has  not  been  wandering  from  cruel  religious  perse- 
cution, but,  I  think,  to  ease  a  restless  and  discontented 
mind. 

"In  Mount  Airy,  Surry  Co.,  N.  C  a  man  named  Bclton  was 
pointed  out  to  me  who  claims  to  have  taken  a  part  in  the  same  vile, 
fiendish  crime,  and  seems  to  have  fared  a  similar  or  worse  fate, 
having  been  taken  with  something  like  the  palsy.  He  is  dis- 
abled for  work  of  any  importance,  which  renders  him  a  perfect 
object  of  pity  and  charity. 

'  'These  are  the  only  men  I  ever  saw  who  claim  to  be,  or  bear  the 
name  of  being,  connected  with  those  who  slew  the  great  latter- 
day  Prophet  and  Patriarch,  Joseph  and  Hjtuui  Smith. 

''If  these  be  fair  examples  of  their  kind,  it  certainly  looks  as 
though  their  sins  were  going  before  them  to  judgment."' 

Daniel  Tyler,  in  his  "History  of  the  Mormon  Battalion," 
in  writing  of  San  Diego,  says : 

"Near  the  foreigners'  burying  ground  resided  a  miserable 
specimen  of  humanity,  who  stole  and  begged  from  door  to  door. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  forlorn  of  human  beings.  He  acknowl- 
edged to  having  been  engaged  in  the  Haun's  Mill  massacre, 
and  begged  our  people  to  forgive  him.  He  claimed  to  have 
becH  one  of  Fremont's  party,  and  said  he  had  been  among  the 
Bocky  Mountains  for  the  last  seven  years. ' ' 

The  following  statement  is  furnished  by  Brother  Joel  Parrish, 
of  Centerville,  Utah: 

"In  March,  1877,  in  company  with  Elder  Chaales  F. 
Middleton,  I  passed  through  Carthage,  Hancock  County,  III, 
en  route  for  St.  Louis.  We  tarried  there  a  sufficient  length  of 
time  to  visit  the  Carthage  iail,  where  our  lamented  Prophet 
and  Patriarch,  Joseph  and  liyrum  Smith,  were  nuirdered. 

"We  visited  a  Mr.  Browning,  who  then  owned  and  occupied,  as 
his  family  residence,  the  old  rock  building,  or  jail,  where  the  pris- 
oners referred  to  were  confined.  This  building  was  no  longer 
needed  as  a  jail,  a  new  and  larger  one  having  been  built. 

"Mr.  Browning  and  lady  entertained  usover  night,  treated  us 
ver\^  kindly,  and  stated  that  any  of  our  Elders,  passing  through, 
would  be  welcome  to  be  entertained  by  them. 

"The  room  where  the  nrisoners  were  murdered  was,  at  that 
time,  used  as  a  parlor.  We  were  taken  therein  and  shown  the 
arrangement  of  the  room.     The  bullet  hole  in  the  door,  made 


A  YISJT  TO   CARTHAGE  JAIL.  113 

])y  the  flital  ball  that  struck  Hynim  Smith  at  the  left  side  of  the 
nose,  had  been  filled  with  putty,  but  was  plainly  to  be  seen. 
'Iliere  being  a  carpet  on  the  lioor,  we  could  not  see  the  blood- 
stains where  the  murdered  Patriarch  fell,  but  we  were  assured 
that  they  were  still  there.  The  stains  of  blood  on  the  walls, 
also,  were  obscured,  as  the  room  had  been  whitewashed.  The 
jail  had  been  painted  and  kept  in  good  repair. 

"We  were  asked  by  Mr.  Browning  if  we  would  like  to  see" 
'the  wickedest  man  in  Ilhnois,'  having  reference  to  the  noto- 
rious Thos.  C.  Sharp,  who  was  then  publishing  a  paper  in  Car- 
thage. ^Ve  replied  that  we  would  not  object  to  seeing  him 
without  an  introduction  or  being  under  any  necessity  of  shaking 
his  hand.  AVith  this  understanding,  we  went  with  Mr.  Brown- 
ing to  Sharp's  office.  Sharp  was  very  courteous  and  polite,  and 
showed  signs  of  ^vishing  to  shake  hands,  a  conjunction  which 
we  carefully  avoided. 

''A  few  years  previous  to  this  time.  Sharp  had  been  a  candi- 
date for  office,  and,  while  the  canvass  was  in  progress,  his  oppo- 
nent said,  in  a  pubHc  speech  :  'Sharp,  you  know  if  we  had  not 
sworn  like  h — 11  for  you,  you  would  have  been  hung  for  the 
murder  of  the  Smiths.' 

"One  of  the  Higbees  (am  not  certain  whether  Chauncey  or 
Francis)  then  resided  fifteen  T)r  twenty  miles  east  of  Carthage. 
3Ir.  Browning  stated  that  a  gentleman  in  conversation  with 
him  asked  if  he  ever  felt  any  remorse  of  conscience  for  the  part 
lie  took  in  the  murder  of  the  Smiths,  to  which  Higbee  replied: 
'If  you  think  I  have  not,  look  at  my  child. '  The  child  referred 
to  was  then  a  young  woman,  grown,  and,  strange  to  behold,  the 
entire  left  half  of  her  face,  on  a  line  with  the  nose  from  the 
forehead  to  the  chin,  was  one  red  mass,  as  if  it  were  fresh  blood, 
warm  and  dripping.  The  left  arm  and  hand  were  also  in  the 
same  condition.  Higbee  can  see  in  his  offspring  the  visible 
mark  of  Grod' s  judgment  for  his  great  sin. ' ' 

Elder  Henry  Gr.  Boyle  says  : 

"While  in  California  on  a  mission  in  the  year  1855-6,  and 
laboring  on  the  Russian  River,  near  where  Healdsburg 
now  stands,  I  often  heard  of  an  old  mobocrat  by  the 
name  of  Kogan,  or  Cougan,  who  lived  in  that  vicin- 
ity, and  who  boasted  of  having  helped  to  murder  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  Smith  at  Carthage.  He  often  sent  a  request  to 
me  to  visit  him  and  proffered  to  tell  me  all  about  the  manner 
of  the  death  of  our  Prophet.  A  few  months  afterwards  I 
heard  that  Mr.  Cougan  was  stricken  with  some  very  singular 
disease.  So  peculiar  was  his  case,  that  manv  people  came  to 
see  him.  He  grew  woi*se  and  worse,  and  lay  for  three  months 
seemingly  at  the  point  of  death.  He  suffered  excruciatingly, 
and  constantly  prayed  to  die.      He  also  begged  his  friends  to 


114  THE  MARTYRS. 

put  an  end  to  his  suffering,  b}^  taking  his  hfe,  and  even  sought 
an  opportunity  to  commit  suicide,  but  was  prevented  by 
those  waiting  upon  him.  Many  physicians  visited  him,  and 
declared  they  never  saw  anything  hke  his  case. 

"Many  of  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  said,  'If  such  is 
the  end  of  those  who  kill  the  prophets  and  mob  and  drive 
the  Saints,  then  may  we  be  delivered  from  such  a  fearful  and 
terrible  calamity. ' ' ' 


CHAPTER   XV. 


CONCLUDING      REMARKS 


''pHE  writer  has  resided  many  years  in  the  State  of  Missouri. 
A  There  he  has  many  warm  personal  friends,  whom  he  believes 
to  be  too  high-minded  and  honoi-able  to  let  conflicting  religious 
sentiments  interrupt  friendly  relations.  In  that  State,  too,  there 
are  patriots  who  would  honor  the  Constitution  which  guaran- 
tees to  all  the  right  to  worship  Grod  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  own  consciences.  Those,  also,  around  whose  lives  the 
tenderest  ties  of  parental  affection  are  entwined,  have  their 
abode  there  in  the  romantic  Nodaway. 

These  all,  it  is  hoped,  would  be  willing  that  a  people  who 
have  been  so  ruthlessly  expelled  by  the  mob  element,  should 
have  their  just  rights.  It  is  to  the  abandoned  class,  (more 
or  less  in  every  State),  that  reference  has  been  so  liberally 
directed  when  alluding  to  the  unjust  perpetrati(;ns  committed 
upon  our  people. 

It  is  very  unfortunate,  for  the  honor  of  Missouri,  that 
an  unprincipled  paitizan,  hke  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  happened,  in 
those  times,  to  occupy  the  gubernatorial  chair.  His  mobocratic 
proclivities  stained  the  State  escutcheon  with  innocent  blood, 
and  dishonored  it. 

With  the  high-minded  and  honorable  in  that  State,  and  in 
all  the  world  besides,  our  peoi)le  hold  no  antagonistic  contro- 
versy ;  but  are  ready  to  meet  them  as  friends  and  members  of 
the  great  brotherhood  of  the  human  race. 


CONOLUTUNG  REMARKS.  115 

These  people  ask  no  special  right  or  privilege  but  what  they 
will  cheerfully  accord  to  all  men,  of  every  party,  sect  or  creed, 
who  are  ready  to  act  with  them  upon  the  great  principles  of 
justice  and  equal  rights.  They  have  never  advocated  a  princi- 
ple as  being  a  tenet  of  their  faith,  that  is  antagonistic  to  that 
golden  rule:  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would  that  they  should 
do  unto  you. ' '  They  have  been  ready  to  endure  all  things  for 
the  love  of  the  gospel,  which  they  have  preached  almost  over 
the  entire  globe  for  the  salvation  of  the  honest-in-heart.  They 
have  been  scofted,  derided  and  their  names  cast  out  as  evil. 
Kindred  and  friends  have  turned  away  from  them,  feeling  that 
they  were  disgraced,  because  they  united  themselves  with  the 
people  of  Grod.  Their  highest  and  purest  motives  for  the 
redemption  of  fallen  man  have  all  the  time  been  misconstrued 
by  the  wicked  and  ungodly,  and  many  honest-hearted  people 
have  been  blinded  by  the  refuge  of  lies,  so  that  they  have  never 
come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  true  character  of  the  Saints. 

A  greater  untruth  never  was  uttered  than  that  the  Latter-day 
Saints  are  the  enemies  of  this  or  any  other  government  on 
earth.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  friends  to  all,  and  would  do 
good  to  all,  if  the  people  would  let  them.  They  have  met  with 
determined  opposition  from  the  world,  but,  notwithstanding 
this  they  have  labored  zealously  and  continuously  for  the  salva- 
tion of  mankind.  They  have  felt  as  Paul  expressed  himself: 
"Woe  is  unto  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel."  They  have 
received  light,  and  they  have  labored  to  dift'use  it  for  the  ben- 
efit of  their  fellow-creatures  everywhere.  They  have  expected 
opposition  and  that  which  they  have  had  to  contend  with  has 
been  in  fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  words  of  the  angel  to  Joseph 
in  1823,  printed  in  the  fore  part  of  this  volume.  By  reference 
thereto  the  reader  will  see  how  exactly  those  words  of  Moroni 
have  been  fulfilled,  up  to  the  present  day,  so  far  as  they  were 
to  take  place  within  that  period. 

It  was  also  declared  that    "those    who  are  not  built  upon 
the  Rock  will  seek  to   overthrow  the   Church;    but  it  will 
increase  the  more  opposed,  and   spread  farther  and  farther. 
This  has  literally  transpired. 

In  1830  the  Church  was  organized  with  six  members,  (as 
already  stated),  surrounded  by  sectarian  churches,  many  mem- 


116  THE  MARTYRS. 

bers  of  which  resorted  to  violence  to  crush  it  out  of  existence. 
They  handed  themsoh-es  together  as  mobs,  mainly  against 
Joseph  Smith,  thinking  if  they  could  destroy  him,  his  doctrines 
would  cease  to  exist.  This  delusive  idea  followed  his  opponents 
all  the  time  of  Joseph's  life.  It  was  not  so  much  owing  to  any 
objections  they  had  for  him  as  a  man,  a  neighbor,  or  citizen ; 
but  his  doctrines  were  so  self-convincing  and  so  susceptible  of 
scriptural  proof,  that  they  were  unable  to  controvert  them; 
hence  the  ministers  of  the  day  became  alarmed  lest  their  con-N 
gregations  should  follow  after  this,  to  them,  new  and  strange 
gospel.  To  prevent  this,  they  became  inspired  with  a  desire  to 
make  war  ui)on  his  person,  and  finally  this  became  a  dominant  . 
passion  with  them,  and  some  thought,  no  doubt,  that  they 
would  be  doing  good  service  to  mankind  to  close  his  career, 
even  though  it  might  be  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood.  While 
acting  thus  it  seems  never  to  have  occurred  to  them  that  they 
were  bringing  to  pass  the  very  things  that  the  angel  told  Joseph 
would  follow  the  publication  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the 
restoration  of  the  gospel  with  the  power  and  authority  of  the 
holy  Priesthood,  yet  these  predictions  of  the  celestial  messen- 
ger were  then  printed  and  made  public. 

When  these  persecutions  came,  Joseph  and  all  who  embraced 
the  truth  were  prepared  in  mind  to  encounter  them.  They 
saw  in  them'the  fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  announcement,  and 
they  felt  to  rejoice  in  the  day  of  trouble,  feeling  glad  that  they 
were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  aftliction  with  the  people  of  God. 
They  were  willing  to  drink  from  the  same  bitter  cup  that  was 
presented  to  the  ancient  saints  and  to  the  Redeemer  of  mankind. 
Formerly,  the  saints  were  hunted  and  driven  from  city  to 
city ;  they  sought  refuge  in  holes,  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth, 
and  many  fell  as  martyrs. 

In  thees  last  days,  the  same  causes  i)roduce  the  same  effects. 
Our  people,  with  their  leaders,  have  been  hunted  ^'as  the  roe 
upon  the  mountain."  In  the  winter  season  at  least  fifteen 
hundred  were  exiled  from  a  sovereign  State,  having  to  travel 
hundreds  of  miles  with  scanty  clothing  and  with  bhstered  and 
bleeding  feet,  and  subjected  to  the  taunts  and  jeers  of  the  pop- 
ulace through  whose  neighborhoods  they  were  compelled  to  pass 
before  reaching  the  then  friendly  shores  of  Illinois, 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS.  117 

Our  dead  are  strewn  along  the  track  of  our  exits  from  Ohio 
to  Missouri,  from  that  State  to  Illinois,  and  from  there  across 
the  plains  to  Utah ;  and  also  mark  the  circuitous  route  of  the 
INIormon  Battalion  to  California,  whither  thej^  marched  under 
the  stars  and  stripes  to  redeem  this  western  region  from  the 
dominion  of  Mexico  and  bring  it  under  the  sovereignty  of  the 
American  banner.  And  many  of  these  might  now  be  living 
had  not  the  seeds  of  disease  been  sown  in  their  systems  by 
being  exiled  and  driven  from  their  homes. 

Since  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith  about  thirty-eight  years 
have  passed,  and  the  doctrines  he  promulgated  have  been 
steadily  gaining  converts.  Those  who  have  embraced  them 
have  penetrated  almost  every  country  on  the  globe  and  carried 
the  glad  message  to  the  honest-in-heart,  whose  ears  have 
tingled  with  the  welcome  sound  and  their  hearts  been  made  to 
believe.  Year  after  year  has  witnessed  the  fulfillment  of  proph- 
ecy, and  editors,  priests  and  people  of  the  world,  in  alarm 
and  astonishment,  have  repeatedly  asked  the  question  which 
Isaiah  asked  :  '  'Who  are  these  that  fly  as  a  cloud,  and  as  the 
doves  to  their  windows  ?  Surely  the  isles  shall  wait  for  me, 
and  the  ships  of  Tarshish  first,  to  bring  thy  sons  from  far." 
"They  that  erred  in  spirit"  have  "come  to  understanding,  and 
they  that  murmured"  have  "learned  doctrine." 

The  Book  of  Mormon  has  been  published  in  many  editions 
of  the  English  language.  It  has  also  been  translated  and 
printed  in  seven  or  eight  other  languages,  thus  going  far  to 
bring  to  pass  the  words  of  Moroni,  that  "the  knowledge  which 
this  record  contains  will  go  to  every  nation,  and  kindred, 
and  tongue,  and  people  under  the  whole  heaven. ' ' 

The  people  of  the  world  make  a  great  mistake  when  they 
think  the  perpetuity  of  the  gospel  depends  upon  the  life  of 
any  man.  Men  are  mortal,  and  must  die  ;  but  truth  is  eter- 
nal and  consequently  will  live  forever.  (Daniel  ii.,  44.) 
'  "And  in  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up 
a  kingdom  which  shall  never  be  destroyed  :  and  the  kingdom 
shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and 
consume  all  these  kingdoms  and  it  shall  stand  forever." 

If  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  be  this 
kingdom,  then  will  it  stand,  and  the  gates  of  hell  will  not  pre- 


118  THE  MARTYRS. 

vail  against  it ;  but  if  it  is  nut,  then  will  it  surely  come  to  nought 
and  fall. 

When  Josejjh  Smith  was  taken,  the  Lord  had  another  man 
in  readiness  to  .take  his  place  and  lead  His  people.  Brigham 
Young  was  that  man,  and  the  wonderful  work  that  was  per- 
formed during  his  leadership  of  about  thirty-three  years  has 
astonished  the  whole  civilized  world.  A  recapitulation  of  what 
was  accomplished  during  his  presidency  w^ould  be  far  too  elab- 
orate for  the  limits  of  this  work.  But  the  name  of  this  cham- 
pion of  truth  and  justice  is  familiar  to  all  men  of  reading  and 
intelligence.  The  same  spirit  of  persecution  followed  him  that 
followed  Joseph  Smith,  but  he  had  the  blessed  privilege,  at  last, 
of  dying  in  peace  in  his  own  house,  surrounded  by  his  friends, 
and  amidst  the  endearments  and  consolations  of  home. 

Many  then  entertained  the  idea  that  the  success  of  "Mor- 
monism,"  as  it  is  called  by  the  world,  depended  upon  him. 
But  after  he  had  gone  the  way  of  all  flesh,  the  glorious  truths 
of  the  gospel  still  lived.  John  Taylor  stepped  into  his  position, 
with  ability  and  experience  sufficient,  w^ith  the  blessings  and 
favor  of  heaven,  to  conduct  the  work  successfully.  And  thus  will 
it  be  ad  wfinitum.  from  the  leadership  of  one  to  another,  until 
the  kingdom  is  prepared  to  be  delivered  up  to  the  Son  of  Man 
when  He  shall  become  the  king  and  ruler  of  the  whole  earth. 

These  facts  are  calculated  to  inspire  hope  and  confidence 
in  the  midst  of  the  Saints  and  should  disabuse  the  sectarian 
mind  of  the  false  idea  that  the  success  of  the  work  of  the  Lord 
depends  upon  the  lives  of  men.  And  if  it  be  true  that  "the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church,"  it  would  be 
wise  policy  in  them  to  change  their  mode  of  warfare  against 
the  Saints ;  throw  down  carnal  weapons,  and  trust  the  success  of 
their  systems  to  the  moral  force  of  their  principles. 

What  a  shame  in  a  professedly  Christian  country,  that  men 
should  be  treated  with  the  violence  and  indignities  that  have 
hitherto  been  meted  out  to  the  Latter-day  Saints !  What  a 
disgrace  to  free  institutions,  and  an  insult  to  the  memories 
of  the  patriot  fathers  who  gave  their  lives  to  establish  a  govern- 
ment that,  by  its  laws,  should  protect  all  its  citizens  in  the  right 
to  worship  Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  con- 
science !     What  a  libel  upon  the  professions  of  American  states- 


CONCLUDiNG  REMARKS.  119 

men,  to  stand  still  with  the  stars  and  stripes  waving  above 
them,  and  they  not  thunder  their  denunciations  against  deeds  that 
would  crimson  with  blushes  the  faces  of  barbarians  and  savages ! 

Article  first  of  the  amendments  to  the  Constitution  saj's : 

''Congress  shall  make  no  law  respecting  an  establishment  of 
religion,  or  prohibit  the  free  exercise  thereof;  or  abridge  the 
freedom  of  speech  or  of  the  press;  or  the  right  of  the  people 
peaceably  to  assemble,  and  to  petition  the  government  for  a 
redress  of  grievances. 

When  this  amendment  was  made  to  the  Constitution,  it  was, 
no  doubt,  the  full  intention  of  Congress  and  the  people  at  large 
to  keep  its  provisions  inviolate.  Were  there  existing  causes  for 
its  adoption?  If  so,  then  was  its  creation  the  more  imperative. 
And,  as  it  still  exists  without  repeal,  its  requirements  are  as 
binding  now  as  when  first  adopted.  Has  it  been  a  safeguard  to 
the  Methodist,  Baptist,  Presbyterian,  Catholic,  and  other 
churches,  and  made  them  feel  secure  in  their  respective  modes 
of  worship  ?  Doubtless  it  has,  and  it  is  proper  that  it  should. 
But,  in  the  practice  of  their  opponents,  the  Latter-day  Saints 
have  been  made  an  exception.  They  have  not  been  protected 
in  their  religious  worship.  And  the  administrators  of  the  law, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  have  not  enforced  this  fundamental  law 
for  their  benefit.     Why  is  this? 

The  reason  is  of  easy  solution,  and  was  foretold  by  Moroni. 
It  was  revealed  among  the  first  utterances  of  the  angel  of  God 
to  Joseph  Smith,  when  the  two  great  powers  were  presented  to 
him  and  the  mission  of  each  explained.  The  prince  of  dark- 
ness with  his  innumerable  hosts  began  the  work  of  antagonism 
the  very  hour  the  records  of  the  Nephites  were  delivered  to 
Joseph,  and  the  opposition  has  grown  stronger  from  that  time 
in  a  corresponding  ratio  to  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  And  as 
the  sects  are  acting  without  authority,  so  far  as  the  sanction  of 
the  heavens  is  concerned,  they  are  ready  to  make  common  cause 
against  the  restored  authority  of  the  Son  of  Man.  They  have 
all  the  time  charged  the  "Mormons"  with  a  union  of  Church 
and  State,  yet  what  is  the  spectacle  presented  in  18.S2,  in  the 
United  States  ?  The  various  sects  have  united  their  power  and 
influence  against  the  people  of  Utah,  because  of  their  religion. 
They  hold  conventions,  composed  of  delegates  from  the 
various  sects,  and  pass  resolutions  proscribing  the  Latter-day 


120  THE  iMARTYRS. 

Saints  in  their  worship  of  Alniigthy  God.  And  to  carry  their 
unjust  aims  into  execution,  they  invite  poUtical  partizans  to 
dehberate  with  them  and  make  inflammatory  speeches ;  and 
they  unitedly  seek  the  aid  of  Congress  and  the  President  to  do 
just  what  this  amendment  says  they  shall  not  have  the  right  to 
do,  namely,  to  "prohibit  the  free  exercise"  of  religion.  And, 
still  further,  if  the  arm  of  the  civil  law  is  not  sufficient,  they 
recommend  that  the  military  power  of  the  government  be 
brought  to  bear  to  coerce  and  enforce  their  measures,  which 
measures  aim  at  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  political  and 
religious  rights  of  the  people  of  Utah. 

The  Constitution  further  declares  that : 

"No  bill  of  attainder  or  ex  post  facto  law  shall  be  passed." 

Says  one,  "No  such  law  has  been  passed  by  Congress  respecting 
Utah.  ^"Perhaps  not  in  the  express  wording;  but  how  far  short 
has  it  come  of  being  so  in  spirit  and  in  meaning  ?  If  the  opera- 
tions of  a  law  will  affect  or  have  to  do  with  conditions  which 
already  exist  or  have  existed,  how  much  difference  is  there  in 
it  and  a  law  that  is  expressly  ex  post  facto  ? 

There  is  not  space  here  to  quote  from  the  Edmunds  bill ;  but 
every  person  acciuainted  with  its  provisions  cannot  fail  to  see 
that,  if  it  shall  be  enforced  according  to  its  real  meaning  and 
wording,  its  practical  operation  must  be  retroactive.  It  expressly 
interferes  with  marital  contracts  already  made  and  entered 
into  between  husband  and  wife  in  a  plural  relationship.  It 
authorizes  five  appointed  commissioners  to  adjudge  these  parties, 
and,  without  judicial  investigation,  and  merely  upon  report  or 
some  incidental  events  connected  with  the  case,  to  pass  against 
them  an  order  of  disfranchisement  excluding  them  from  the 
ballot-box  ;  and,  if  the  parties  hold  office  of  trust  or  emolument, 
t(j  compel  them  to  vacate  the  same  forthwith.  A  law  of  this 
kind  is  dictatorial  and  oppressive  to  an  outrageous  extent  and 
never  can  be  authorized  by  the  Constitution. 

And  if  persons  suffer  the  loss  of  reputation  and  of  civil  rights 
generally,  by  an  act  of  Congress,  how  much  does  it  lack  of  being, 
in  reality,  a  bill  of  attainder?  And  when  people  are  attainted, 
not  for  acts  of  outlawry,  felony  or  treason,  but  for  conscience 
sake  in  matters  of  religion,  it  presents  a  phase  of  intolerance 
which  fails  to  harmonize  with  the  genius  of  republican  institutions. 


Date  Due 

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The  martyrs :  a  sketch  of  the  lives  and 

Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


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